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Jaspreet Bumra, injured. Muhammad Al-Shami rested. No Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav either. India’s legendary speed attacking quartet is lost as the Rohit Sharma-led side prepare to take on the West Indies in the first of two Test matches starting Wednesday in Roseau, Dominica. Among the bowlers, Mohamed Siraj (19 Test) travels as the most experienced in the game. Whereas Shardul Thakur (9), Jaydev Unadkat (2), Navdeep Saini (2) and Mukesh Kumar do not all have the same experience.
The Indian captain offers thoughts on the absence of big names and the opportunity for some new ones in the upcoming series.
“We’ve seen the thieves take a lot of wickets here. But that’s what it is. Players get injured and unfortunately we have to replace them. Humare paas fast palers ki line nahi lagi hui hai (We don’t have a lot of chips). In India, there are a lot of shooters who are injured. The ones we have, we need to manage. This is why our experienced bowlers can’t come on this tour,” Rohit told reporters on Tuesday.
However, the 36-year-old added that he “has a lot of faith in the new people we have here”.
“Jaydev (Unadkat) is not new, he made his debut 10-12 years ago. Mukesh Kumar has performed consistently in domestic cricket. He has done well in his home state as well as in zonal games and for India A. We will see which group we need to pick.”
Among the high-profile names, Jasprit Bumrah has been sidelined since September last year due to a recurring back injury. Mohammed Shami – who was India’s first player in Bumrah’s absence – has rested after a painful double season in India followed by the IPL and World Test Championship final.
“For Indian cricket, this will always be a challenge because we play a lot of cricket,” Rohit added. “We have to manage the players, rotate them and give them enough rest so they can be fresh. We also need to remember the next big tournament. We need to keep everyone fresh for the World Cup. That’s also something to remember because at the moment we don’t have the luxury to focus on one series.” “It’s also useful because new players also get a chance. We also need to establish bench strength. It gives us an idea of how those in the backroom who have worked hard can handle the pressure on the international stage.”
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