India vs England: Jasprit Bumrah most likely to miss ODI series

India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to return to action for the national team any time soon. The right-arm pacer has already left the team ahead of the fourth Test of the ongoing series against England due to personal reasons. He has also been rested for the upcoming T20 series against the same opposition.

After the conclusion of the Tests, India and England will lock horns in a five-match T20I series, starting from March 12. And according to a report, Bumrah is expected to miss the three-match ODI series too. According to Cricbuzz, the “personal reasons” that saw Bumrah being released from the Test squad for are likely to keep him out of the ODI series too. The ODI series will be played in a biosecure environment in Pune, starting March 23.

In Bumrah’s absence, the fringe bowlers will get an opportunity to make an impression ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is expected to lead the pace attack in the T20I series and will have the likes of T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Navdeep Saini as bowling partners. It won’t be surprising if the same set of bowlers are named for the ODI series too.

Varun Chakravarthy doubtful for T20Is

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s dream of making his debut for India could be further delayed after he failed a mandatory fitness test at the National Cricket Stadium (NCA). According to Cricbuzz, BCCI and team officials confirmed the development. Chakravarthy was put through the Yo-Yo test a few days ago but couldn’t clock the required 17.1 mark.

Following that, he was sent to Mumbai to play practice games after having spent three months at the NCA. The report further stated that one more player who was named in the T20I squad has also failed the fitness test. With less than two weeks remaining before the series starts, the players are likely to get another chance. However, it would be tough for them to improve their yo-yo test results in such a short span of time.

The latest development will be yet another big setback for Chakravarthy. Last year, he could not travel to Australia for the T20I series due to an injury. The Tamil Nadu ace had earned his maiden call-up after impressing in IPL 2020 while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders.