Will he, or won’t he? Ever since the first Test in Leeds, that’s been the big question. The ‘he’, of course, references Jasprit Bumrah.

While announcing the squad in May for the five-match series in England, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had emphasised that the bowling spearhead would be available for only three games, a line since espoused by members of the leadership group over the last 40 days. Now, with the series on the line, India haven’t entirely ruled out Bumrah playing at The Oval from Thursday, Shubman Gill opting to hedge his bets publicly on match-eve.

Bumrah hasn’t had as much say on the series as he or his side would have liked. Despite two five-wicket hauls, he hasn’t been able to inspire a victory in any of his three appearances; apart from the first innings at Headingley, he hasn’t tasted success with the first new ball either and India have won just two of his eight overseas outings since November. His pace dropped considerably from Leeds to Manchester, understandable given the miles in his legs, but anyone who rules out Bumrah rousing himself for one final, telling statement must do so at their own peril.