The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Monday, confirmed that Team India’s frontline pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on October 16 in Australia.
Notably, Bumrah was recently ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa due to back pain. He was taken for scans in Trivandrum and then sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. However, no positive result came out for the Men in Blue and BCCI confirmed Bumrah’s ruling out from the T20 World Cup.
Now the big question appears in front of selectors as to who will replace the right-arm pacer at the global showpiece event. Speaking on the same, former Australia all-rounder, Shane Watson has picked an ideal candidate for Bumrah.
Watson reckoned that aspiring pacer Mohammed Siraj should replace Bumrah as he is great with the new ball and has improved his white ball skills in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“The player I would put in if Jasprit’s not available is Mohammad Siraj because of the firepower he presents. Without Bumrah, that’s the one thing India won’t necessarily have, which is vital on Australian wickets on the bigger grounds with the pace and bounce,” said Watson while speaking on The ICC Review show.
“Siraj is great with the brand new ball. He is fast, he swings the ball away, but also, his defensive skills are pretty good. And he’s got better over the last couple of years, with what we’ve seen in the IPL. So, for me, he’s probably going to be the one who is going to have the most impact,” he added.
