India’s injury woes worsen; Bumrah, Jadeja, Vihari ruled out of Brisbane Test

PTI, Jan 12, 2021, 10:03 AM IST

Sydney: The injury-ravaged Indian team was dealt another blow on Tuesday as pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the fourth Test against Australia due to an abdominal strain.

Bumrah, key to India’s attack, sustained the strain during the drawn third Test in Sydney.

India’s injury woes in the Test series against Australia have only become compounded after Bumrah being ruled out as Hanuma Vihari and Ravindra Jadeja were also rules out of the fourth test in Brisbane.

Hanuma Vihari, was ruled out of the fourth and final match with a hamstring tear that could keep him out of action for a considerable time.

It has been learnt that Bumrah’s scan reports showed a strain and the Indian team management does not want him to aggravate the injury, keeping in mind the upcoming four-Test series against England.

“Jasprit Bumrah suffered an abdominal strain while fielding in Sydney. He is going to sit out of the Brisbane Test but is expected to be available against England,” a BCCI source told PTI.

In another important development, Shardul Thakur, with way more first-class experience and better batting abilities compared to rookie Thangarsu Natarajan, is likely to replace an injured Ravindra Jadeja in Brisbane on a track that is supposed to be the bounciest of the series.

Jadeja suffered a blow to his left thumb and dislocated it when he was batting on the third day of the drawn test, adding to India’s long injury list.

It is now expected that two-Test old Mohammed Siraj will be leading the Indian attack and will be joined by Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan in the Brisbane Test, starting January 15.