Jasprit Bumrah was not named India's new Test captain
Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- India were hit with a major blow ahead of the England series
- Ajit Agarkar made a concerning announcement on Jasprit Bumrah
- Bumrah led India in two matches during the Australia tour
The Indian cricket team were hit with a shocking blow ahead of the marquee five-match Test series against England, with star pacer Jasprit Bumrah's availability a major concern following the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to snub him from captaincy.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that while Bumrah has been picked in the squad, he will not play all five Test matches. Agarkar stated that Bumrah is not fit enough to play every game. However, he claimed that the team are confident in his ability to contribute to the team's cause even if he plays three or four matches.
"I don’t think he is available for five Tests, as far as the physios and the doctors have told us. "Whether it’s four, three, we will see how the series goes and how his body takes the workload. He is very important to us. Even if he is fit for three or four Test matches, he is going to win us Test matches.
"We are glad he is fit and the setback he had in Australia wasn’t too bad. He has started playing again, I know it’s T20 cricket at the moment, but we have seen what he is doing in the IPL. I am very happy he is part of the squad," Agarkar said in a press conference.
For those unversed, Bumrah played all five Test matches in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) and bowled 151.2 overs but suffered a back injury in the final match at Sydney, when he was leading the team. This not only saw him ruled out of the remaining match but also put him on the sidelines for four months and miss India's victorious Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.
Bumrah underwent surgery on his back in March 2023 and nearly missed a year of cricket, which included the 2022 T20 World Cup. He had also suffered a stress fracture in his back in 2019, which led to him out of action for three months.
Bumrah was India's vice-captain in Test cricket since 2022 and led the team in three matches but concerns over his fitness have led to him not being part of the leadership group anymore with Shubman Gil named captain and Rishabh Pant his deputy.
India's pace attack is severely depleted for the England tour as Mohammed Shami has also not made the squad due to fitness concerns.
