Rohit Sharma, speaking at the captains' media interaction ahead of the T20 World Cup, provided an update on Shami's health and the precise reason why they did not take a chance on Jasprit Bumrah.
"Shami had COVID two three weeks ago. He was called to the NCA then, and he worked hard for the last 10 days and he is in Brisbane. He will practice with us tomorrow," Rohit said.
Rohit added that the team has made a lot of effort in player management in the last year. "Whatever we have heard on his recovery is positive. He did three four bowling sessions with full intensity. We have made a lot of effort to do player management over the last 12 months but injuries happen. If you see, whoever has come into the squad, he has got matches under his belt."
Talking about Bumrah's injury, the skipper said that the pacer's reports weren't positive, and they were not ready to risk his career.
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"Bumrah is a quality bowler. We spoke to a lot of specialists about his (back) injury but the response was not very positive. World Cup is important but his career is more important, he is only 27-28. We could not have risked playing him here, that is what the specialists also said. We will miss him," said Rohit. He went on to say that injuries are part of and parcel of the game and all you can do is make the most of the available resources.
"Injuries are part and parcel of the sport. If you play so many matches, injuries will happen. Our focus in the last year has been on increasing our bench strength. You must have seen we played new guys whenever there was an opportunity," he said. The skipper also mentioned that there are no last-minute decisions to be made and all the concerned players have been intimated well in advance.
"We will be fully prepared before the first game (against Pakistan on October 23). There are no last-minute decisions to be made. All the concerned players have been informed in advance," he said referring to India's playing eleven for the big game.
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He ended by praising Suryakumar Yadav and hoped that the MI player can continue his good work in the mega-event. "He is in good form, hope he continues in that fashion in the middle order. He is a very confident and fearless player and uses his skill sets really well," Rohit said.
India have played two practice games. While they won one, they lost out on the 2nd one. They will now face Australia and England in two more practice games before taking on Pakistan in a much-anticipated clash on October 23.
