Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was picked for India's Champions Trophy squad on Saturday despite doubts about his fitness.
Bumrah suffered back spasms and didn't bowl on the last day of the fifth and final test against Australia in Sydney two weeks ago. He was the leading wicket-taker in the series.
India chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar suggested Bumrah may play the third one-day international against England on Feb. 12 in Ahmedabad to test his fitness for the Champions Trophy, which starts for India eight days later in the United Arab Emirates.
“Bumrah has been advised to off load from bowling for five weeks and he won't be available for the first two ODIs against England. We are awaiting news on his fitness and will know in early February from the medical team,” Agarkar said.
Captain Rohit Sharma added, “We were not sure about his fitness at the moment, and thus picked Arshdeep Singh to perform his roles with the new and old ball.”
Opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal was included even though he has yet to play an ODI.
Jaiswal takes Suryakumar Yadav’s spot and will be the third opener choice after skipper Sharma and Shubman Gill. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer complete the top-four options.
Jaiswal averages 54 in List A cricket and he will compete for the second opener’s slot with Gill, who averages 58.20 in ODIs. There will also be a keen spotlight on the batting form of Sharma and Kohli who both struggled in the five tests against Australia.
Missing the cut from the squad which reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup were Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin has retired, and Yadav and Kishan have been dropped. Rishabh Pant and Lokesh Rahul are the wicketkeeper-batter options.
Pacer Krishna and allrounder Thakur lost their spots as India bet heavy on spin. Left-arm spin allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were picked alongside off-spin allrounder Washington Sundar. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav complete India's spin options.
Kuldeep Yadav has missed much of the season since October after a groin issue led to hernia surgery.
In the pace department, India has opted for Bumrah, Singh and Mohammed Shami. They will be complemented by allrounders Hardik Pandya and Nitish Reddy, who impressed with a maiden test century in Australia.
Shami has also been picked for the Twenty20s against England before the ODIs. He took 23 wickets in the 2023 World Cup.
India will play its Champions Trophy matches in the UAE after the government refused clearance for the team to travel to Pakistan owing to political tensions.
While the rest of the tournament will be in Pakistan, India will play its group matches in Dubai against Bangladesh on Feb. 20, Pakistan on Feb. 23, and New Zealand on March 2.
If India qualifies for the semifinals or final, both matches will also be in Dubai. If India doesn't qualify for the final, it will be staged in Lahore on March 9.
India won the 2013 Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni and was runner-up to Pakistan in 2017 under Virat Kohli. Both tournaments were in England.
Source: AP
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