In a rain-hit opening day, India ended with 204/6 against England at the Kennington Oval in South London, thanks to the half-century from Karun Nair for the first time after his 300-run knock. However, the speculation of the day centered on Jasprit Bumrah not playing the decider after taking a four-run break. 

‘It’s a complex decision. He’s not hiding; we’re managing him. He told us he’d play three Tests and left it to us to decide which ones. His workload has been high, even if it doesn’t look like that on paper. We just didn’t think this was the game to push him.’ India’s assistant coach, Ryan Ten Doeschate, expressed this in the press conference after the opening day.

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He also reacted to how Shubman Gill, their leader, got run out after rushing for a single and slipping to see Gus Atkinson breaking the stumps. ‘More so for him, I’d imagine. He looked in great touch. However, these things happen, especially when boundaries are scarce. Overall, we were happy with how the batters accumulated.’

Ryan Ten Doeschate reacts to India’s morale without Jasprit Bumrah during ENG vs IND 5th Test

The visitors had gone with Akash Deep, who has made a comeback into the side from injury, while Mohammed Siraj looked dead on his feet in Manchester. The third and last pacer of the side is Prasidh Krishna, who couldn’t find the right line and length during his first two games. It could have been a hard place to be in the decider without the premier pacer.

‘I wouldn’t say he’s picking and choosing. He gave us a clear plan, and we’ve tried to manage him responsibly. As for the rest, Arshdeep, Kuldeep, and Abhimanyu, they’ve been outstanding. No complaints, just full effort every day. That’s what creates a good culture..’ Ryan Ten Doeschate addressed.

‘The message was about mentally switching back on. That’s hard when you’re in and out. You have to restart every time. I thought the boys handled it pretty well, especially Sai, who looked composed. Josh Tongue bowled two cracking deliveries at the end there.’ The veteran concluded on how the rain breaks affected the batting group.