Jasprit Bumrah has been released from India's squad for the fourth and final Test against England in Ahmedabad, starting March 4, due to "personal reasons." The BCCI have announced there will be no fresh additions. This now pegs the squad strength at 17.
Bumrah played in front of his home crowd at Motera for the first time in the recently-concluded third Test that finished on Thursday. India wrapped up the game inside two days to take a 2-1 lead in the series, which strengthened their chances of making the World Test Championship final against New Zealand at Lord's in June.
This series marked Bumrah's first appearance in a Test on home soil when he featured in the series opener in Chennai, where he picked up four wickets in India's 227-run loss. He was then rested for the second Chennai Test. Earlier this week, he didn't have much of a role in the third game too, bowling just six wicketless overs in England's first innings in a ten-wicket Indian win scripted by their spinners.
Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj are the other two pacers India can call upon in Bumrah's absence. Yadav was added to the squad ahead of the third Test after recovering from a calf injury he sustained on the tour of Australia.
If the team management chooses to play an extra spinner or an allrounder, then Kuldeep Yadav or Hardik Pandya could come into the fray.
India's squad for the fourth Test: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav