Bumrah, Jadeja set for crucial red-ball preparation ahead of NZ Tests

Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna along with veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will get valuable preparation time ahead of the two-Test series when a star-studded India A face an injury-ravaged New Zealand A in the third and final four-day game beginning here on Saturday. Bumrah, who last played in the Asian Games final on October 3, has been preserved only for the red-ball leg of the New Zealand tour. As part of workload management, he was not picked for the ongoing five-match ODI series against New Zealand. With the first Test in Wellington from November 19, Bumrah would be looking to make the most of his time in the middle against New Zealand A. The preparation for the two-Test series has been extensive with a majority of India's Test players getting to play the A series and acclimatise to the windy and cold conditions in this part of the world. Having fully recovered from a hamstring injury, Prasidh too has been kept for the Test challenge. His last outing was the OD