By Karan Agrawal 
There has been uncertainty over the fitness of India’s fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah since the conclusion of India’s tour of Australia last month. The fast bowler picked up a back injury during the fifth and final test of the series and was taken for scans in the middle of the match as a result he did not bowl at all in Australia’s second innings. When asked about an update on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness before the start of the home series against England chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that the team management will take a call on Bumrah’s availability for the Champions Trophy at the right time.
The Change
Bumrah who was picked in India’s ODI squad for the series against England was expected to play the final game of the series to test his fitness for the Champions Trophy but his name was removed from the squad a couple of days before the start of the series in Nagpur. The fast bowler was replaced by leg spinner Varun Chakarvarthy who was rewarded for match-winning performances in the five-match T20I series against the same opposition. With February 11 being the deadline for teams to make changes to their Champions Trophy squad it remains to be seen if India decides to go with Bumrah in the Champions Trophy given the concerns regarding his fitness.
The Response
Amidst the uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the Champions Trophy India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak remained tight-lipped on the issue in the pre-match press conference before the second ODI to be played in Cuttack on Sunday. “That’s something the physio would know,” Kotak said in the press conference.
The Combination
When asked whether it is a deliberate effort to try different combinations before the multination tournament given the fact that the team already has a set batting order Kotak said it is a call taken by the captain and coach. In the words of Sitanshu Kotak “The entire team looks solid. Whether there is any experiment, new players will come to the XI or some senior players will be left out. It’s the head coach and captain who will discuss and they will decide. So, I don’t think I can make any comment on that.”