File photo of Sam Curran.
England all-rounder Sam Curran has not travelled to India this week as scheduled and will not be available for selection in the third Test in Ahmedabad from February 24. The 22-year-old Surrey cricketer was scheduled to travel with Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood to India this week but England and Wales Cricket Board decided to rest Curran to avert 'bubble fatigue.
The trio was supposed to begin 6-day quarantine from Friday upon arrival, allowing them to be available for selection fror the thir Test. They were all rested for the first two matches as extra period of rest would be beneficial for the players and the team.
Curran will now join the team next week and will be available for selection for the fourth Test in Ahmedabad from March 4.
‘Sam's been given a few extra days to recharge his batteries after a lot of cricket and time in a behind-closed-doors environment,’ an England spokesman told Daily Mail.
ECB has been careful with the management of their players inside the bio-secure bubbles with attention towards players who are squad members or reserves and have been inactive for several weeks. This had led to regular check-up on mental health of the players, including Sam, his older brother Tom Curran and teammate Tom Banton.
Curran - man of the 4-1 series win against India in 2018 - was part of England’s home ‘bubbles’ last summer, then headed straight for the Indian Premier League before returning to international duty in South Africa pre-Christmas and in Sri Lanka at the turn of this year.
He was rested along with Bairstow and Wood from the first two Tests and an extra period at home is viewed as beneficial for both him and the team.
