The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday (October 3) confirmed the absence of Jasprit Bumrah from the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in Australia. The BCCI tweeted on Monday evening stating that the player won't be able to participate in the showpiece event while a replacement will be named soon. Either Mohammed Shami or Mohammed Siraj could be named as replacements for Bumrah.
The 28-year-old who returned to the Indian team for the T20 World Cup and the home series against South Africa and Australia will now likely miss the showpiece Down Under in Australia. The veteran star pulled out of the Indian team for the first T20I against South Africa last Monday due to a back injury.
This now means that either of Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami or Mohammed Siraj could be roped in as a replacement for the injured star. While the likes of Umran Malik and Umesh Yadav could also be considered. Shami at the moment looks to be the like-to-like replacement but even has struggled of late due to Covid-19.
Bumrah has scalped 70 wickets for India and is only behind Yuzvedndra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for most wickets for India in the T20I format. His absence will leave a big hole to fill in as team India will now face an uphill task to replace the Mumbai Indian's star.
Bumrah's absence in South Africa series will leave team India in a vulnerable situation as they are already without Bhuvneshwar Kumar (rested) and Mohammed Shami. The latter was ruled out on Monday after he failed to recover from Covid-19.
Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, and Umesh Yadav are the only pace bowlers at India's disposal while Deepak Chahar comes in as a bowling all-rounder against South Africa. The BCCI's decision will now come under huge criticism for selecting an unfit Bumrah for the T20 World Cup ahead of Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj.
