Team India could be handed a big blow for the opening Test match against Australia in Nagpur next month as Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to recover from his current state of injury. The ace India bowler on Monday (January 10) was ruled out of the ongoing Sri Lanka series with a long-term problem and now looks set to miss out on the opening Test as well.
Bumrah unlikely to take part in Nagpur Test
"Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Bumrah, who was set to join the team in Guwahati ahead of the ODI series, will need some more time to build bowling resilience. This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure," was the statement released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Australia are set to tour India for a four-match Test series where important points in the World Test Championship (WTC) will be up for grabs. The Indian team will have to avoid series defeat and will need to win by a decent margin to keep hold of the second spot in the WTC standings. A failure to do so will see India bow out while South Africa and Sri Lanka will then take the pole position.
Bumrah was added to the ODI series early on January 3 after he was declared fit. The All-India Senior Selection Committee included the pacer in the ODI squad. In a statement released by the BCCI, "The All-India Senior Selection Committee has included pacer Jasprit Bumrah in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming Mastercard 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
“Bumrah was out of cricketing action since September 2022 and was also ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup due to a back injury.
“The pacer has undergone rehabilitation and has been declared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He will be joining the Team India ODI squad soon."
https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1612388953575018496
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Bumrah’s injury crisis
He was out of action for India's crucial tournaments including Asia Cup 2022 and T20 World Cup 2022 due to a back injury. Bumrah suffered a back injury during India's tour of England in an ODI game. Subsequently, he was ruled out of Asia Cup 2022. The pacer was back in the team for the home T20I series against Australia and South Africa. However, the Indian pacer played only 2 games out of 6 against these two sides in September.