Jasprit Bumrah added to ODI squad for Sri Lanka series

In a piece of good news for Indian cricket fans, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been included in the ODI squad for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka after being declared fit to play. Bumrah, who had been out of action since September 2022 owing to his injury, has successfully completed his rehab and will be back in action.

India and Sri Lanka will first lock horns in a three-match T20I series starting today. The ODI series will begin on January 10, Tuesday, and will see the senior players returning to the side. If Bumrah manages to go well in the ODIs, India’s lineup will strengthen when they face Australia in February for their last Test series of the WTC 2021-23 cycle.

Bumrah was last seen in action in September 2022, when he played against Australia in the home T20I series. But his injury led to India facing a major blow, as he was ruled out of the T20 World Cup. India then faced Bangladesh in three ODIs and two Tests, and Bumrah was excluded from the squad as well.

The pacer headed to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and underwent rehabilitation. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Tuesday, made the announcement about Bumrah’s recovery. NCA has also declared him fit to play, and that he has been added to India’s ODI squad.

The upcoming T20I series will see Hardik Pandya leading a comparatively younger squad against Sri Lanka. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma will be back for the 50-over games and will lead India, with Pandya as his deputy. The team management will keep a track on Jasprit Bumrah. The aim would be not to overburden him with work, and to keep him fit for future games.

India’s updated squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh