Nagpur, Feb 5 (UNI) As India gears up for the final set of preparations ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, with a crucial home series against England, a significant question mark hangs over the fitness of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
The 31-year-old had sustained a back spasm during India’s final Border-Gavaskar Series Test against Australia in January. While Bumrah was named in India’s Champions Trophy squad, Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed uncertainty regarding his availability for the tournament.
“Jasprit, obviously we’re waiting on some update about his scan, which is due to happen in the next few days,” Rohit Sharma said, speaking ahead of the first ODI against England in Nagpur.
Not ruling out the possibility of Bumrah’s participation in the series, he said, “We’re just waiting on that update, which is going to happen in the next few days. Then, probably we’ll have a little more clarity about his participation in the last ODI.”
Bumrah had initially been slated to feature in the third ODI against England, but his name was notably absent from the 16-player squad announced on Tuesday. Instead, Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner, earned his maiden call-up to the ODI squad following a stellar T20I series performance against England, where he scalped 14 wickets from five matches.
“While it is in the T20 format, he has clearly got something different about him,” Rohit praised Chakravarthy.
“We wanted to have an option and see what we could do with him. During the series, it presents us with an opportunity to play him at some stage and assess his capabilities.”
Rohit Sharma further emphasised that while the decision about Chakravarthy’s inclusion in the Champions Trophy squad would depend on his performance, the mystery spinner remains very much in contention.
Another positive for India ahead of the series is the return of Mohammed Shami, who had been sidelined with injury. Shami, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup, marked his return in the T20I series against England, where he claimed three wickets in two matches.
When asked about Shami’s recent low returns with the ball, Rohit defended the seasoned pacer, pointing to his stellar World Cup performance as a testament to his ability.
“He has been playing cricket for the past 10-12 years and has performed for the team. You look at the World Cup and how he bowled then. In domestic cricket, if a few games didn’t pan out as expected, that doesn’t take away from his quality. He has won us many games and picked countless wickets – it is crucial to keep that in mind,” said Rohit.
The first ODI between India and England will be played in Nagpur on Thursday.
