Jasprit Bumrah tells BCCI he can't play all five Tests in England, rookie pacer to be picked in India squad: Report
Jasprit Bumrah will only play three of the five Tests against England. He has reportedly informed the BCCI about his fitness and workload management.
In what could turn out to be damning news for Team India just before they announce their Test squad for the England tour, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has reportedly informed the BCCI selectors, led by former pacer Ajit Agarkar, that he would not be able to play all five Tests in England. Bumrah, who got injured midway through the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney and missed the Champions Trophy and the first few matches of IPL, feels his body can no longer go through the rigours of a five-match Test series.
According to The Indian Express, Bumrah will only play three of the five Tests against England. "Jasprit Bumrah has already informed the board that his body can’t take the toll of more than three Test matches," the report claimed.
This all but takes him out of the captaincy race. Bumrah, who is currently the vice-captain of India's Test side, led India in two matches in Australia, and if he didn't hurt his back in the Sydney Test, he was the first-choice to take over from Rohit Sharma as the next Test captain. But the recurrence of a back injury that had kept him away from cricket for more than a year has changed things.
The selectors did not want a captain who was unsure of playing all matches due to workload management. Therefore, Shubman Gill reportedly became the leader in the Test captaincy race.
Bumrah's unavailability for all five Tests, however, should not come as a major surprise. After what happened in Australia earlier this year, it was but certain that India would not risk their fast bowling in all formats in all five Tests of a series.
No Bumrah, Shami; Arshdeep could get maiden Test call-up
Apart from Bumrah's unavailability, Mohammed Shami's fitness is also a cause of concern for India. The veteran fast bowler, who missed the T20 World Cup and the Australia tour due to an ankle injury, is reportedly not ready to bowl long spells in red-ball cricket and therefore, might not be picked in the Test squad.
“Shami is bowling four overs in IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad but the board and selectors don’t know whether he can bowl more than 10 overs in a day. Test matches in England may demand longer spells from the pacers and we can’t take chances,” a source in the board informed The Indian Express.
If Shami is not picked and Bumrah is unavailable for all five Tests, then India would want to pick a couple of extra fast bowlers. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has been highly impressive with the new ball in white-ball cricket and has had the exposure of red-ball cricket for Kent in England, is likely to get his maiden Test call-up. Haryana fast bowler Anshul Kamboj, who has been named in the India A squad, is also a contender to be picked in the main squad.
This is the first high-profile squad announcement since the retirement announcements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
It is understood that the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, is all set to announce the squad, which will comprise 16 or 17 members.
B Sai Sudharsan is set to become the rookie face in the Test squad.
