Jasprit Bumrah 'won't be available' for all five Tests vs England, confirms Agarkar: 'We're just glad he's fit'
Ajit Agarkar cleared the air on Jasprit Bumrah's fitness and availability during the five-Test series against England.
BCCI's chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, announced Team India's squad for the five-Test series against England, which begins on June 20. While Shubman Gill was named captain, Rishabh Pant was appointed as his deputy with Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja being among the senior players travelling for the series. There had been significant speculations over Rohit Sharma's successor as captain, with many also touting Bumrah to take up the role. However, it was reported that Bumrah may not be entirely fit to play all five Tests, and Agarkar cleared the air on the same in the press conference following the squad announcement.
The chief selector confirmed that the physios advised the Indian team management to rest Bumrah for at least one Test in the England series, which put the fast bowler out of contention for the captaincy role.
“I don't think he will be available for five Tests as far as the physios and doctors have told us. Whether it's four or three, I think we will see how the series goes and how his body can take the workload,” Agarkar said.
Agarkar, a former fast bowler himself, stated that Bumrah remains more useful for the Indian team as a player due to his immaculate consistency in taking wickets. Despite missing the final innings of the fifth Test in Sydney during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, Bumrah ended as the highest wicket-taker in the series by a fine margin, with a tally of 32 dismissals to his name – 7 more than the next best, Pat Cummins.
“We know how important he is, so even if it is three or four Tests, he's going to get us the wickets. So, we're just glad that he's fit after the setback we had in Australia. We know he's been playing T20 cricket at the moment, but we have seen what he's doing in the IPL, so we are just happy that he is part of the squad,” said Agarkar.
Captaincy a “burden”
In an answer to a different question, Agarkar insisted that Bumrah was initially considered for the captaincy role, but the selectors and team management were all on one page about the “burden” that comes with the leadership role.
“He had led in Australia, and he was vice-captain. But once he wasn't available for all the matches… I think he's more important for us as a player. There's always an extra burden when you're playing and also managing 15-16 players. It takes a lot out of you. We'd rather have him as player. He's aware about it, he's okay about it and he knows where his body is at the moment,” Agarkar said.
