Before the start of the India vs England Test series in the summer, the Indian team management, on multiple occasions, had claimed that Jasprit Bumrah would play only three out of the five Test matches in the tour.
The tough decision was taken keeping in mind Bumrah's fitness as the Indian pacer was yet to fully recover from the back injury that he suffered against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January.
Bumrah did feature in India's opening match of the tour at Headingley, where he even took a fifer in the second innings, but the visitors lost the first Test.
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Despite the defeat in Leeds, Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill decided to rest the ace Indian pacer for the second Test at Edgbaston to manage his workload.
India staged a magnificent comeback in the series without their star pacer, as Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep delivered with the ball.
The Mumbai Indians star returned to the Indian team for the third Test and Lord's and once again scalped five wickets in the first innings, however, it was England who emerged victorious in the end.
With only two Test matches remaining in the tour and India trailing in the series, questions have been raised on whether the Indian team should play any of the remaining matches without their star fast bowler.
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Former India wicket-keeper on Jasprit Bumrah playing the 4th Test in Manchester
Ex-India star and commentator Deep Dasgupta addressed the Bumrah issue ahead of the all-important fourth Test in Manchester.
He told Star Sports: "Jasprit Bumrah in the fourth Test, absolutely yes. I've heard rumours that the plan for him was to play in the first, third and fifth Tests. But now, when India are 1-2 behind, the fourth Test becomes very, very crucial.
"You would definitely want the world's best bowler to play. There is an eight-day gap between the two Tests. It remains to be seen whether the fifth Test is still relevant after the fourth Test, but the relevance of the fourth Test is considerable."
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What next for the Indian cricket team?
India will hope to restore parity in the series when the fourth Test kicks off on July 23 at Manchester.