India’s injury list grows longer ahead of WTC Final; Bumrah, Pant ruled out, replacements announced
India’s hopes of winning the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia have been dealt a massive blow as the injury list for the Indian team continues to grow. Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant are among the star players who have been ruled out due to injuries.
Injury Update for Bumrah, Iyer, and Pant
Bumrah, who had back surgery, has begun his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Shreyas Iyer, on the other hand, will undergo surgery in London for a back injury and is likely to be out for two to three months. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batsman Pant has been sidelined due to a car accident and is expected to be out of action for six to seven months.
Replacement players for India’s WTC Final squad
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named the replacements for Bumrah, Iyer, and Pant. Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur have been named as replacements for Bumrah, while KL Rahul is expected to replace Iyer in the middle order.
As for Pant, KS Bharat will replace him as the wicketkeeper-batsman. Bharat was already called up to the squad during the Australia Test series, but he was mediocre behind the stumps and failed to score a fifty in four Tests. Nevertheless, Bharat has retained his place in the WTC squad.
With Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami as the first-choice pacers, there will be a toss-up for the third pacer between Thakur and Umesh. Thakur has been in good form lately and performed well in the Test series against England earlier this year.
In other news, Ajinkya Rahane has replaced Suryakumar Yadav in the Test squad. Yadav was initially picked for the squad but was later ruled out due to injury. Rahane’s experience will be crucial in the middle order for India.
Australia’s injury concerns
Australia also has injury concerns ahead of the WTC Final. Lance Morris has been ruled out of both the WTC and Ashes due to a back injury. Meanwhile, Josh Hazlewood’s fitness will be decided based on his performance for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Hazlewood is returning after a long layoff due to an Achilles heel trouble. If he plays six or seven games for RCB, Hazlewood is likely to feature in the WTC and Ashes.
The absence of Bumrah and Pant is a significant setback for India, as both players have been instrumental in India’s success in the Test format. However, the replacements named by the BCCI have the ability to step up and deliver when it matters the most. With the WTC Final set to take place in just a few weeks, the Indian team will need to regroup quickly and put in their best effort to overcome the challenges posed by a formidable Australian team.
