Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar recalled

PUNE: After conceding the near identical scores of 322 and 321 in the first two matches of the on-going five-match One Day International (ODI) series against West Indies, the All-India Senior Selection Committee recalled the first choice pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah for the remaining three ODI’s on Thursday.

After seeing the poor performance of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and new-comer Khaleel Ahmed, MSK Prasad-led selection committee has opted to recall their first choice bowlers, and have dropped Shami from the squad, while retaining the other two.

The duo was rested for the first two games after their Asia Cup exploits. Bumrah ended up with eight scalps at an average of just 16 in the Asia Cup, while Bhuvneshwar finished with six wickets. The workload of injury-prone spearheads is currently being managed by the team management with an eye on a long tour of Australia beginning in November and the 2019 World Cup. 

On Thursday evening, team India arrived in the city after the tied second game in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday night. The pace duo is also expected to join the team soon and it is likely that they will be straight away drafted into the playing XI.

Shami, 28, has had a forgettable two outings where he gave away 81 and 59 runs respectively and could only claim three wickets in his 20 overs. 

On the other hand, Yadav, who replaced injured Shardul Thakur in the initial squad, has so far picked up just one wicket (of Ashley Nurse in the final over of the second ODI) after giving away 142 runs, finds himself in the squad. (Maybe a birthday present from the selectors, who turned 31 on Thursday.)

Rookie left-arm pacer, Ahmed, who has played just three games for the national side, also finds himself in the squad, as he offers the different bowling option. The rest of the squad remains the same for the remaining matches in Pune, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.

INDIA SQUAD: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey