Bumrah opens up on Test captaincy ambitions ahead of Perth Test
There was a sense of self-motivation when Jasprit Bumrah came to address the pre-match presser ahead of the opening Test against Australia in Perth starting Friday.
Star Indian batsmen Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 with a thumb fracture. As per the latest reports, Dhawan will not be able to recover in time for the business end of the tournament.
Speaking to PTI, sources in the know of developments said that Dhawan has been ruled out as the injury will take more than two weeks to recover.
“The injury will not heal in time,” a BCCI source told PTI.
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It is to be noted that Dhawan, who was India’s hero in their win against Australia, received a blow on his left thumb while facing a ball from Nathan Coulter-Nile that received an extra bit of bounce. However, Dhawan ignored the pain and continued to play and went to score 117 runs off 109 balls.
Dhawan did not come out to field against Australia. Later scans had confirmed that the southpaw had actually sustained a fracture on his left thumb.
However, team skipper Virat Kohli and member of coaching staff Sanjay Bangar wanted to monitor Dhawan’s progress before ruling him out. Now that he has been ruled out, it could be a major blow to India’s plan.
Team India Manager Sunil Subramaniam addressed the press conference and stated “Shikhar Dhawan has a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal of his left hand. He will remain in cast until mid-July which rules him out of ICC World Cup. We have requested Rishab Pant as the replacement.”
Shikhar Dhawan has been phenomenal for India in ICC tournaments. In World Cup 2015, Dhawan averaged 51.50 and amassed a total of 412 runs which included two hundreds. In ICC Champions Trophies from 2013-2017, Dhawan has a scarcely believable average of 77.88 and a total of 701 runs including three hundreds.
Promising Delhi wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant had already joined the team ahead of the Pakistan clash and will replace Dhawan once an official permission is taken from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
It will be interesting to note the changes in India’s team selection policy when they take the field for their next match against Afghanistan.Advertisement
