India pacer Jasprit Bumrah to sit out of 3rd New Zealand Test; to return home: Report

India will be missing Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming third and final Test match against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The fast bowler is expected to be rested for this match. Unfortunately, India has already lost the series after facing defeats in both the previous matches in Bengaluru and Pune. This series loss marks India's first defeat on home soil in 12 years.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Bumrah has been 'rested' with an eye on the Border-Gavaskar Test series, which will begin on November 22 in Perth. With Bumrah being in action since the Bangladesh Test series last month, the team management wants him to recover adequately for the much-anticipated tour, for which the team will be leaving on November 10. Although Bumrah was part of India's first full-fledged training in Mumbai on Wednesday since the loss in Pune, he was flow back to home in Ahmedabad the very night.

The report further revealed that the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and India captain Rohit Sharma initially wanted Bumrah to rest in the second Test against New Zealand but were forced to change their plan after the team lost in Bengaluru.

“He won’t be playing the Mumbai Test and has flown back home. The Indian team management wanted him to take some rest so that he could recover his body. He will now join the Indian team when the team departs for Australia,” a source informed the national daily.

Earlier this afternoon, Gambhir, in the pre-match presser in Mumbai, was asked if Bumrah's light training session Wednesday, which did not include bowling in nets, hinted at him being rested for the third Test, but the India head coach was reluctant to give out information.

Gambhir said, “I think he’s (Bumrah) just done his preparations, I think we know how the weather is in Mumbai so obviously he needs to conserve his energy as well. So he’s done his bowling, he’s prepared really well and he’s fine. That’s why he’s a senior player, he knows how much he needs to prepare for the Test match.”

With Bumrah out, Mohammed Siraj will likely make a return to the playing XI for the third Test.