India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka after failing to fully recover from his knee injury.
According to a PTI report, tt is understood that the swelling in Bumrah's knee has proved more serious than initially anticipated, prompting the BCCI's Sports Science team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to advise against rushing the senior pacer back into international cricket, especially with a packed calendar ahead.
The 32-year-old sustained an impact injury during the ODI series against England last month and subsequently missed the third match at Lord's. He recently reported to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and was initially expected to regain match fitness before the Sri Lanka series begins on August 15.
In fact, PTI had reported on Friday that Bumrah had cleared the mandatory fitness tests and was expected to be available for both Tests. "Jasprit Bumrah has recovered from his impact injury. He has cleared the fitness tests mandated by the COE. Hopefully, he will be available for both games as he is integral to the team's plans," a senior BCCI official had told the news agency.
{{/usCountry}}In fact, PTI had reported on Friday that Bumrah had cleared the mandatory fitness tests and was expected to be available for both Tests. "Jasprit Bumrah has recovered from his impact injury. He has cleared the fitness tests mandated by the COE. Hopefully, he will be available for both games as he is integral to the team's plans," a senior BCCI official had told the news agency.
{{/usCountry}}However, it has now been learnt that Bumrah continues to experience discomfort. Even if he regains full fitness before the opening Test in Galle or the second match in Colombo from August 23, the medical team is unwilling to risk him in the physically demanding format, particularly on slow Sri Lankan pitches where fast bowlers often face heavy workloads for limited returns.
On Sunday, ESPNcricinfo reported that Bumrah had taken an injection in his knee as part of a long-term injury management plan drawn up by the BCCI medical team. He subsequently travelled to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru earlier this week for a fresh round of fitness assessments.
While the exact nature of Bumrah's injury has not been disclosed, the report added that he had also travelled to Bengaluru earlier this year to undergo conditioning work and receive fitness clearance ahead of the IPL. He was declared fit just a day before the Mumbai Indians' opening game of the season. Bumrah went on to play 13 matches in the tournament before being rested for MI's final league fixture.
The selectors are now expected to choose between Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi and Vidarbha fast bowler Yash Thakur as Bumrah's replacement.
India's injury concerns have continued to mount ahead of the tour. Nitish Kumar Reddy (hamstring), Harshit Rana (hamstring) have already been ruled out of the series, while Washington Sundar (hamstring) will miss at least the opening Test.
India begin the two-Test series against Sri Lanka on August 15 in Galle, with the second Test scheduled to start on August 23 at the SSC in Colombo. Ahead of the series, the team will play a three-day practice match in Colombo beginning on August 7.