The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to rest ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the Test series against Bangladesh which is to begin next month, reported the Indian Express on Monday.
Bumrah has not played since guiding India to T20 World Cup 2024 glory as the Blues defeated South Africa in the final where the pacer turned the game in their favour in Bridgetown.
The 30-year-old did not feature in India’s T20I series against Zimbabwe and white-ball series against Sri Lanka and is likely to remain on the sidelines as he is India’s leading pacer and the board wants him to be fully prepared for key matches.
The experienced Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli featured in the ODIs against Sri Lanka recently and they will once again be in action against Bangladesh in the red-ball series next month but Bumrah will remain on the sidelines.
The selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar will decide on Bumrah’s involvement in the upcoming series as India are scheduled to play 10 red-ball matches in the next four months, which includes a crucial five-Test series against Australia.
The series against Bangladesh will be followed by a three-Test series against New Zealand. Since the conditions for the Bangladesh series will be spin-friendly, the BCCI believes that Bumrah’s role may be less critical which gives them the luxury of benching the 30-year-old.
Mohammed Shami may mark his return to the squad after being on the sidelines since the ODI World Cup 2023 as he was recovering from knee surgery. Should Shami return, he will combine with Mohammed Siraj.
India are eyeing to play their third consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) final as they currently sit on top of the WTC points table with six victories in nine red-ball matches played during the period.
- Jasprit Bumrah
