Why didn’t Bumrah and Jadeja get a place in the selected Indian team against Sri Lanka despite being fit?

India’s home session begins with a 3-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka from January 3. But Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant are nowhere to be found in the T20 and ODI teams. Hardik Pandya has been entrusted with the leadership of the Indian team for the T20 series. Surya Kumar Yadav has been appointed as his deputy. Rohit Sharma will be the permanent captain in the ODI series.

Like Rohit, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are also not part of the T20 international series. Not only this, Shikhar Dhawan, who scored only 18 runs in the three-match ODI series in Bangladesh, has also not found a place in the ODI team. After being rested from the ODI series in Bangladesh, Rishabh Pant has not been selected in either the T20I or the ODI squad. Although Pant returned to the Test series, he also contributed significantly to Mirpur’s victory. He scored a valuable 93 runs in the first innings.

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, Bumrah and Jadeja were fit for the Sri Lanka series, but when announcing the squad late on Tuesday, it was decided that they would not be rushed into the squad. Both the cricketers have been out of the field for a long time. The BCCI press release after the meeting chaired by Chetan Sharma did not specify which players are injured and which players have been rested or ruled out.

However, KL Rahul is part of the ODI squad but has not been made the vice-captain. This responsibility has now been given to Hardik Pandya. Hardik will take charge as vice-captain in his first ODI series since the tour of England in July. However, Rahul recently captained Bangladesh in the last ODI and 2 Tests after Rohit was ruled out due to a thumb injury. India were victorious in all three matches, although KL Rahul’s performance was disappointing.

However, Ravindra Jadeja’s recovery is taking longer than expected. Jadeja has not been included in any of the squads for the tour as he is slowly recovering from a knee injury. He last played for India in the Asia Cup in UAE in August-September and later underwent an operation. Jadeja was initially included in the squad for the Bangladesh tour, but was later dropped after being declared ‘not fully fit’ by the NCA medical staff.

ESPNcricinfo says Jadeja’s recovery is taking longer than expected, with no set date for his return. The team wants to bring him back for the four-Test series against Australia starting in February. Jadeja may also play a Ranji Trophy match before this series.

Rishabh Pant is also not mentioned in the Indian squads selected for the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. But the left-arm wicketkeeper-batsman has reportedly been sent for strength and conditioning at the Bengaluru-based NCA to prepare for the four-Test series against Australia.

The selectors have expressed confidence in the young fast bowlers for the T20 international series against Sri Lanka. Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Sami are not part of the T20 World Cup 2022 squad. However, Sami has returned to the ODI team for the first time since the June-July tour of England.

Uttar Pradesh’s Shivam Mavi and Bengal’s Mukesh Kumar have been called up to the T20 international squad for the first time after fetching huge sums in the IPL 2023 auction held last week. In the recently played Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Mavi took 10 wickets in 7 matches at an economy rate of 6.64 and Mukesh took 6 wickets in 6 matches at an economy rate of 7.04.

Harshal Patel and Imran Malik have been included in the T20 team. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Herschel contracted Covid after returning from the New Zealand tour and was therefore rested for the first two matches of the Ranji Trophy. Before the selection committee meeting, he was given fitness clearance.

Arshdeep Singh, who was left out of the Bangladesh tour after making his debut on the recent tour of New Zealand, has returned to the ODI squad. He is still looking for his first ODI wicket after returning empty-handed in the two matches played in New Zealand. Middle-order batsman Rajat Patidar and all-rounder Shehbaz Ahmed are not part of the ODI squad for the Bangladesh ODI series despite not playing a single match. Deepak Chahar, who was ruled out of the Bangladesh tour due to a hamstring injury, will not be part of any series against Sri Lanka.

India will begin the World Cup year with three T20 internationals at home against Sri Lanka in Mumbai (January 3), Pune (January 5) and Rajkot (January 7). This will be followed by three ODIs in Guwahati (January 10), Kolkata (January 12) and Thiruvananthapuram (January 15). Before the IPL, the Indian team will also host New Zealand and Australia.