India will be without their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the third and final Test against New Zealand at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Bumrah, an integral part of India's bowling attack, has been rested to manage his workload ahead of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, starting on November 22 in Perth. In his absence, Mohammed Siraj will step in, aiming to bolster India's pace attack and make a strong impact as the team seeks to finish the series on a high note.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that star pacer Jasprit Bumrah remains sidelined due to an ongoing recovery from a viral illness. "Mr Jasprit Bumrah has not fully recovered from his viral illness. He was unavailable for selection for the third Test in Mumbai," BCCI tweeted.
Head Coach Gautam Gambhir was reserved about Bumrah's absence in the pre-match press conference, suggesting that resting Bumrah is essential to keep him fit and ready for upcoming challenges. Despite participating in India's training session on Wednesday, Bumrah did not bowl in the nets and was flown back to Ahmedabad later that evening to recover.
In addition to Siraj's inclusion, the Indian team will feature Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has shown promise at the top of the order, alongside captain Rohit Sharma and key players Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. New Zealand, meanwhile, will take to the field with a strong lineup, as Tom Latham confirmed Ish Sodhi's return to replace Mitchell Santner due to a side strain, with Matt Henry back for Tim Southee.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, William O'Rourke.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Mohammed
