Team India have received a big blow ahead of the ODI series against Sri Lanka as star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the three-match assignment. Bumrah, who was earlier named in the squad after being declared fit, will miss the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a statement said that the board in coordination with the NCA has decided not to rush Bumrah, taking learnings from the past. “Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Bumrah, who was set to join the team in Guwahati ahead of the ODI series, will need some more time to build bowling resilience. This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure,” BCCI said in a statement.
Bumrah didn’t travel to Guwahati with the rest of the ODI squad. The NCA, who declared him fit, has recommended further rest for the speedster keeping in mind the Test series against Australia next month and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 later in the year. However, it is expected that Bumrah might return to the ODI squad for the New Zealand series, which begins immediately after Sri Lanka matches, as reported by Cricbuzz.
“The pacer has undergone rehabilitation and has been declared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He will be joining the Team India ODI squad soon,” a BCCI statement dated January 3 read.
Bumrah has been nursing a back injury since the West Indies tour and hence missed the Asia Cup. Bumrah returned fit for the T20Is against Australia but he was rushed and the injury aggravated, ruling him out for further two months, which meant he didn’t feature for the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
India will need Bumrah fit and raring to go for the Test matches against the No. 1 side Australia, who have been in terrific form in the longest format of the game.
In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Shami will lead the attack in the games against Sri Lanka while being partnered by Mohammed Siraj. With no Bumrah, the Men in Blue will have to choose one of Umran Malik or Arshdeep Singh for the third pacer’s spot as Shardul Thakur isn’t in the squad either.
India’s updated squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh.
