India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has informed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he will be available for selection for the two-match Test series against West Indies to be played in Ahmedabad and Delhi starting October 2. The senior selection committee will meet virtually on Wednesday afternoon to pick a 15-member India squad.
Bumrah is currently featuring in the T20 Asia Cup in the UAE. Considering India makes the final, there will only be a three-day break before the first Test in Ahmedabad and it will be interesting to see if the national selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar picks Bumrah for the Test series. “It is unlikely that Bumrah will be rested. He is set to play the West Indies Tests. We’ve got important matches coming up, and it’s good for him to keep playing and get more match time,” India’s assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate said in Dubai on their eve of their Super 4 match against Bangladesh.
After the Test series against Australia, India will be travelling to Australia for a white-ball tour, which features three ODIs and five T20Is. During India’s recent tour to England, Bumrah played only three of the five Tests as pre-planned by the BCCI’s medical team and was released for the fifth Test at the Oval, where Shubman Gill & Co levelled the series.
The India Test squad for the upcoming two-Test matches against West Indies at home is unlikely to see major changes from the one that drew the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. With wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who sustained a fracture on his right foot during the fourth Test at Manchester, ruled out of the series, Dhruv Jurel will remain the first-choice wicketkeeper with Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan being the back-up option.
