Indian players Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana, who have been at the BCCI CoE, are expected to have match simulations ahead of the Afghanistan T20I series.
On the other hand, the TOI report mentioned that the ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah is expected to play a Ranji Trophy match or a game for India A ahead of the New Zealand Test tour to deem himself fit for a red-ball fixture.
“The BCCI medical team at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) had shared a report with selectors last week, where it was mentioned that these four players were clinically fit but had to be assessed in practice matches. The CoE has lined up the matches from Sept 4-9. The CoE is confident that the players should be ready for the Afghanistan series,” a BCCI source told TOI.
Bumrah picked up an impact injury and reactive swelling in his left knee while fielding during the second ODI in Cardiff. The injury forced him to miss the final ODI against England and the subsequent Test tour of Sri Lanka.
The ace pacer has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and recently cleared initial fitness assessments. He is playing practice matches at the CoE between September 4 and September 9.
“As it is, he has to skip Test matches because of his fitness. One has to be clear that his knee can take the load of a first-class game before he takes the field in a Test in New Zealand. It needs to be seen if he plays a Ranji Trophy game or a first-class game for India ‘A’ in New Zealand. He is likely to be rested for the T20I series against the West Indies at home in October. But the ‘A’ games in New Zealand overlap with the ODI series there,” TOI quoted a source as saying.
