Asia cup

Dubai [UAE], September 23 (ANI): India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate hinted at the possibility of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah getting rest in the business end of the Asia Cup as “unlikely”, considering the remaining fixtures will put him in the best space for the first Test against the West Indies, which will commence in Ahmedabad on October 2.

Bumrah’s workload management has been on the radar since he suffered from back spasms during the second day of the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney in January. During the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in India, the number one Test bowler was bound to feature in just three Tests out of the five to manage his workload issues.

In the ongoing Asia Cup, after India secured its spot in the Super Fours stage, Bumrah was rested for the final group-stage fixture against Oman. Since the 31-year-old’s return during India’s six-wicket victory over arch-rival Pakistan, Bumrah’s involvement in the remaining two Super Fours games against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka has been up for debate.

Doeschate underscored that since India’s spot in the final, even after conjuring a win against Bangladesh, would be doubtful, a rest for Bumrah is out of question. He sees Bumrah continuing with his exploits in the tournament will assist him for next week’s Test against the Caribbean side.

“Look, there’s obviously a game tonight and our game tomorrow night, and we’ll have a better understanding of how the table sits. But it’s very unlikely that you’ll go into the last game knowing you’ve qualified. So I’d say it’s unlikely that he’ll get a rest,” Doeschate said in the pre-match press conference on the eve of their second Super Fours fixture against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.

“Also, bearing in mind we have a Test match starting on Thursday. So it’s actually quite good preparation in terms of workload management. He’s probably going to bowl a few players all the games and bowl in the region of 25-26 overs with the training and the preparation going into the game, which is a fairly good number the week before a Test,” he added.

The Dutchman admitted that the only possibility was that Bumrah could get a rest for the final Super Fours fixture would arise if India guarantees its spot in the final after facing Bangladesh. “So if we have the luxury to have that option in the last game, we can look at it. But I’d say we’re going to pick our best team for every game. He obviously fits into that picture,” he said.

“He’s doing a very tough task. You don’t see many bowlers in this format bowling all three overs in the powerplay. So it’s quite strenuous as well. But we feel it’s the right amount of work going into the Test match, and obviously, the importance of this competition as well,” he added.

During his previous appearance against Pakistan, Bumrah chased shadows and got clobbered all across the ground. Despite overutilising his scorching yorkers, Bumrah finished with figures of 0/45. Throughout his four-over spell, he created a single wicket-taking opportunity, which was dropped by vice-captain Shubman Gill, which summed up his dreadful night.

Even after a torrid outing, Doeschate was still impressed with the effort he put up. He acknowledged there will be days when he concedes runs like he did against Pakistan, and the management’s view of him remains unchanged.

“He’s gone very well. It wasn’t his most polished performance against Pakistan the other night. But we also understand that he’s doing an exceptionally tough job to bowl the first three overs, the two out and the last over in the second last over, where guys are going as well. Again, sort of evaluating the performance, it’s easy to look at 0-45 on the night. But we’re still happy with that performance. There are going to be days when he doesn’t get wickets, and he’s going to go for runs,” he said.

“But in terms of how we set up the team, obviously, with two seamers and going spin heavy, we feel at the moment that’s the best job. We can be flexible around that strategy. But certainly, try to close off the power play when Pakistan were going well, he was the right option. He’s a top, top performer, as good as you get. He’ll have better nights than the other night, but we’re very happy with it,” he concluded. (ANI)

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