India’s gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is doubtful for the four-match Test series against Australia. Bumrah was earlier added to the ODI squad for the series against Sri Lanka but he was ruled out after he suffered some stiffness in his right glute.
The ace paceman was ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a back injury and since then he was recovering at the National Cricket Academy. However, now the fast bowler is expected to miss the major part of the Test series against Australia.
It has been reported by ESPNcricnfo that Bumrah has been advised at least three more weeks of rest before he starts to bowl. Bumrah had started to bowl in the nets but he suffered stiffness before the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
“It’s an unfortunate incident with him [Bumrah],” Rohit Sharma said on the eve of the first ODI against Sri Lanka. “The poor guy had been working very hard at the NCA all this time. Just when he got back to full fitness, he started bowling and everything, the last two days I think this incident happened where he felt a little bit of stiffness in his back.”
“It’s nothing major, it’s just stiffness. [But] when Bumrah says anything we have to be very cautious about it. I thought it was important for us to make that decision then, to just pull him out. When we named him [in the squad], he was in the process of getting his workload done. We need to be very careful with him. He had a major injury before the [T20] World Cup. So we just need to be careful.”
The first Test match between India and Australia will begin on February 9 in Nagpur. India needs to win the series by at least 3-0 in order to qualify for the World Test Championship final and they will suffer a huge blow if Bumrah fails to recover.
India’s squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-capt), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
