Team India will take a call on Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement in Australia, reveals Rohit Sharma

With some good performances in the international assignments at home – which were meant for preparation in the run-up to the marquee event – the Men in Blue will soon leave for the Aussie shores. Rohit, meanwhile, lamented the absence of their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah from the World Cup squad and went on claiming that the team management hasn’t yet decided upon who will be the replacement for the Gujarat pacer.

Speaking during the post-match presentation after the conclusion of the 3rd T20I against South Africa, which Indians lost by 49 runs, Rohit said, “Bumrah is out of world cup; that will be a big miss. We need to find a guy, I don’t know who that guy is yet, there are a few guys.. we will make that call in Australia.”

Mohammed Siraj – who was named as Bumrah’s replacement against South Africa – and Mohammed Shami – who was named as a reserve pacer in the T20 WC squad – are said to be the front runners. Reports also claimed that Umran Malik, Kuldeep Sen and R Sai Kishore will be the net bowlers for Team India in the showpiece event. Siraj is also going to travel with the side to Australia.

“We need to look at our bowling to see what more options we can find for in powerplay, middle overs and death overs. We are still working towards it. Guys need a lot more clarity and it’s my job to make it happen. It’s a work in progress,” the right-handed batter added further.

The Men in Blue will first set their base in Perth and the skipper explained why they chose that particular city.

“Lot of guys haven’t been to Australia. That’s why we are going there early and also play on bouncy conditions in Perth to see what we do out there. Only 7-8 players in the squad of 15 have gone to Australia before. We have organised a couple of practice games in Western Australia plus there are two ICC practice games,” he added further.

It seems that the team management will diligently take a call on Bumrah’s replacement after watching the performance of the players available with them in Australia.