On Wednesday, Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, told that the team is still waiting for some clarity regarding Jasprit Bumrah’s injury and his availability for the Champions Trophy in Dubai. Bumrah had suffered a back injury during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. Although he was included in the ODI squad for the England series with an assumed return to be available for the third match of the series in Ahmedabad, he was quietly removed from the squad which the BCCI sent after the addition of spinner Varun Chakravarthy.
Rohit, on Wednesday, said that Bumrah was supposed to get some scans done within a couple of days, the results of which would improve clarity over his availability for the third ODI and a likely return to the Champions Trophy.
“We are waiting for some reports and when we receive them, we will be in a better position to know whether Bumrah would be available for the third ODI against England,” Rohit said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the first ODI against England in Nagpur.
Though earlier termed a minor injury, observers feel that it has turned out to be more serious than thought, and hence Bumrah has been sent for treatment at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where he continues to receive treatment.
Before it became clear that Bumrah would have to undergo rehabilitation at the NCA, Ravi Shastri, the former skipper, was of the view that the absence of Jasprit Bumrah would weaken the team’s chances in the Champions Trophy but also said they are not willing to slice off the bowler’s recovery period.
He had back spasms during January’s fifth Test against Australia at Sydney, owing to which he did not bowl in the second innings. In fact, after that same match, he hasn’t bowled for India, but he was included in the original squad to participate in the New Zealand ODI tournament.
Bumrah could not be included in the three-match ODI squad and continues to rehab at the NCA ahead of the series with England that starts on Thursday.
He will be waiting for the final clearance by the sports sciences team to pass on the findings to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and on the basis of that, the decision regarding the Champions Trophy, which would be held in Pakistan and UAE, would be forthcoming.
The first match will be played in Karachi on February 19, while India will play all their matches in Dubai.
