Bumrah out of T20 World Cup with back injury: BCCI secretary Jay Shah
New Delhi, Oct 3: India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup due to a back injury, the BCCI announced on Monday.
That Bumrah is ruled out of the big-ticket event due to a stress fracture was first reported by the PTI on September 29.
Bumrah's absence will certainly affect India's chances in the marquee event in Australia as death bowling still remains a grey area.
The BCCI was awaiting medical reports while the pacer did his rehab at the National Cricket Academy but it was a foregone conclusion that he would be out for months.
"The BCCI Medical team has ruled out Team India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad. The decision was taken following a detailed assessment and in consultation with the specialists," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.
Bumrah was initially ruled out of the ongoing three-match T20I series against South Africa due to a back injury.
While the BCCI will be naming a replacement for Bumrah in the squad for the marquee tournament soon, one among Mohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar will make it to the main squad. Jammu and Kashmir pacer Umran Malik is expected to be named in the stand by list.
Bumrah has had a history of back problem due to his slinging unorthodox front-on action which puts a lot of load on his back.
He was ruled out for three months in 2019 also with a minor stress fracture but this time, it could well be a case of at least four to six months of no show.
This year, Bumrah has played only 5 games each in three formats apart from 14 games for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
The question that is now being asked is whether Bumrah was rushed too quickly and could have been kept under wraps till the start of the T20 World Cup.
"That would have been a double edged sword. Here you are talking about World T20. How can Bumrah, coming back from back injury, be directly fielded in a high stakes game like Pakistan? What if he broke down there?," a BCCI source, who was aware about the development, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"Rahul bhai had to take a chance and play him in these two series and allow him to get overs under his belt. We shouldn't blame the team management."
With both Ravindra Jadeja and Bumrah out of the T20 World Cup, it will be a big ask for Dravid to set up an ideal combination.
Shami hasn't played international T20 since last T20 World Cup and since he is coming back after recovering from COVID-19, it might take some time to bowl full tilt.
Chahar, on the other hand, is bowling really well but the problem with India will be their death bowling while defending totals.
Winning by only 16 runs in a game where they scored 237 wasn't really impressive and it seems that young Arshdeep Singh, a death overs specialist for Punjab Kings is now being slowly read well by the opposition batters.
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Facing criticism over ‘poll stunt’ remark, Channi questions Centre on Pulwama terror attack probe
Chandigarh, May 6: Under fire over his "poll stunt" remark, Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday said he was proud of the country's soldiers but targeted the Centre over the 2019 Pulwama terror strike, saying the government could not ascertain who carried out the attack.
The former Punjab chief minister on Sunday called the Poonch terror attack in which an IAF soldier was killed a "stunt" meant to make the BJP win the Lok Sabha elections.
The remark by the Congress candidate from Jalandhar seat triggered a row with Union minister Anurag Thakur asking the Congress leadership to seek an apology from Channi for insulting soldiers with this deplorable statement.
In a video message on Monday, Channi said, "We are proud of our soldiers who protect our country."
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Referring to his statement made on Sunday, Channi said ahead of the last parliamentary polls, 40 jawans were killed but the government could not yet ascertain who carried out the terror attack.
"Who was responsible for that attack," he asked.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force troopers died in a terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14, 2019.
"Again the elections have come and again our jawans have been attacked," said Channi as he was referring to the terror attack in Poonch.
"I want to ask the government who are those people who get such attacks done. Why don't you bring them forward? Why does intelligence failure take place," he asked.
Channi said Sunil Jakhar, who was earlier with the Congress and now with the BJP, had then even demanded the resignation of the prime minister over the death of 40 soldiers.
"Today again a soldier got martyred and I want to ask Jakhar ji what is your stand now," he said.
"Why are our soldiers getting martyred and why is there intelligence failure of the government," he asked.
In Jalandhar on Sunday while replying to a question on the attack on the Indian Air Force's convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, Channi had said, "'Yeh stuntbaazi ho rahi hai, hamle nahi ho rahe' (These are all stunts, not attacks)."
"Whenever elections are near, such stunts are performed to make the BJP win. There is no truth in it," he had said.
"The BJP knows how to play with people's lives and bodies," he had alleged.
One soldier was killed and four were injured as terrorists ambushed an IAF convoy in Poonch district on Saturday, three weeks ahead of polling in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency.
The officials suspect the involvement of the same group of terrorists who ambushed troops in adjoining Bufliaz on December 21 last year, leaving four soldiers dead and three injured.
Union minister Thakur strongly condemned Channi's remarks and asked the Congress whether it will insult soldiers to win elections.
