The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors named an updated ODI squad for the team's three-match series against England, starting from Thursday in Nagpur. (IND Vs ENG 1st ODI Key Battles | Streaming | Full Coverage)
Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who has been a thorn in the life of English batters in the T20I series, has been roped in as a late inclusion ahead of the 1st ODI at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
However, Jasprit Bumrah's availability remains a doubt as the pacer faces a race against time to be fit for the third ODI as well as the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar last month had announced the squads for the England ODIs as well as the Champions Trophy. The Indian team composition of both the squads was same barring that Bumrah had been excluded from the first two ODIs against England, with Harshit Rana making the cut.
β"With Bumrah, we are waiting to hear about his fitness and when he's likely to be available," Agarkar said in Mumbai on Saturday while announcing the Indian squads for the England series and the Champions Trophy.
β"At the moment I don't think he [Bumrah] is likely to be fit for the first couple of games [of England series] at least from what we gather. We will probably hear more in the next week or so about his fitness," he concluded.
ΰΌIt was expected that the 31-year-old pacer will be fit to play the third ODI and assess his fitness, but his name is missing in the latest squad for the England series, and raises fresh concerns over the former's availability for the Champions Trophy starting from February 19. BCCI are yet to release any official reason for Bumrah's exclusion.
βBumrah suffered from back spasms during the fifth and final Test of India's Australia tour last month.
κ§The deadline for making changes to the Champions Trophy squad is February 12 after that any inclusion would require ICC's approval.
ΰΉIndia's play three ODIs against England on February 6, 9 and 12 - their first since the tour of Sri Lanka in August last year. Speaking on the Champions Trophy, India are placed in Group A and start off the tourney with their match against Bangladesh on February 20.
κ¦They play arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23 and followed by New Zealand on March 2. The Men In Blue will be playing all their games in Dubai because their government denied them from playing in Pakistan.
