India’s pace attack for their upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting on January 10th, will be without their spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to give Bumrah more time to build up his bowling resilience, as he has been out of action since September 2022 due to a back injury. He also missed the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and has just finished his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
With a packed schedule ahead, including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February-March, India’s pursuit of a top-two spot in the ICC World Test Championship and hosting the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, the BCCI is taking a cautious approach with Bumrah’s return. His participation will be key in the year ahead, therefore managing his workload is crucial.
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Bumrah had a torrid 2022 with injuries and fitness concerns, especially after the IPL ended in May. He played both the ODI and Test legs in the tour of England but missed the Asia Cup. He returned for the T20I series against Australia but again broke down, which saw him miss the T20 World Cup and subsequent games.
The ODI series against Sri Lanka will take place in Guwahati, Kolkata, and Thiruvananthapuram respectively, and will also see the return of captain Rohit Sharma who has been out since December 2022 due to a finger injury sustained during the second ODI against Bangladesh.
As well as Sharma, key players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer will also return to the squad, after being rested during the T20I series against Sri Lanka, which India won 2-1 with Hardik Pandya as captain.
Updated squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
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