'Push him to play or else series is done and dusted...': India great wants Jasprit Bumrah to feature in fourth Test against England at any cost

Legendary India spinner Anil Kumble feels that the team management should push Jasprit Bumrah to play the fourth Test at Old Trafford otherwise the series may well be heading towards England's way. The Men in Blue recorded a 22-run defeat in the third Test at Lord's after a fantastic batting effort from Ravindra Jadeja and tailenders Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj took England to the limit in the final session of Day 5.

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Ahead of the commencement of the series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had confirmed that Bumrah will only be playing three out of the five Tests against England so that the pacer can properly manage his workload. Hence, the star pacer was rested for the second Test at Edgbaston despite many former cricketers repeatedly demanding the team management to give him a spot in the playing XI.

Kumble fired a major warning to India's team management

However, following India's defeat in the third Test at Lord's, Kumble warned the team management that if they rest Bumrah for the fourth Test, then England will most likely go on to seal the series by emerging victorious in Manchester. The hosts currently have a 2-1 lead in the series so it will be crucial for Shubman Gill & Co. to win the fourth Test otherwise they will lose the five-match series.

"I would certainly, if I'm a part of that group, I would certainly push Bumrah to play the next game because that's crucial. If he doesn't play and then you lose the Test match, that's it. Series is done and dusted. I think Bumrah should play both the Test matches. I know he said, I'm only going to play three. We have a long break after this. You don't need to play the home series. You can take a break if you want. But Bumrah should be playing the next," Kumble told JioStar.

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It will be interesting to see what decision will the team management take regarding Bumrah's participation in the last two Tests. Captain Shubman Gill was also asked about the star pacer's participation for the remainder of the series following India's defeat at Lord's, but he didn't decide to reveal anything and simply stated, “You'll get to know soon.”