Team India is set to drop three players from its Border-Gavaskar Trophy squad to play in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, a domestic 50-over tournament in India. The three players are Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal and Navdeep Saini.
All these players are fast bowlers, which means that the team’s fast bowling line-up will be significantly reduced. But the management believes that the players can get the much-needed playing time by playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy starting December 21.
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Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal and Navdeep Saini are yet to play a match in the ongoing Test series against Australia. The three fast batsmen have been backups to the front-line fast bowlers in the original line-up.
Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal and Navdeep Saini will be released from the Indian squad. They will return to India to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy. #BGT #AUSWIND
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) December 15, 2024
While Mukesh relies on swing and seam and is also a true keeper with the new ball, Yash Dayal provides the left-arm option. Navdeep Saini, on the other hand, has the pace and height for Australian pitches, which is why he was initially selected in the squad.
While Mukesh Kumar and Yash Dayal are yet to play a Test for Australia, Navdeep Saini made his Test debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. However, he was injured halfway through the Gabba Test on that tour, which was his last Test ever.
Fast bowlers remaining in India’s squad
With just two Tests left after the ongoing Test in Brisbane, the team management feels that the original fast bowler could be more than enough to do the job. Currently, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep are playing as fast bowlers at the Gabba along with Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Apart from these quicks, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are the other two fast bowlers in the team. Rana played the first two Tests of the series but was dropped after a disappointing outing in Adelaide. Krishna is yet to take a game in this round.
Jasprit Bumrah is the spearhead of the attack
The pace bowling is led by Jasprit Bumrah who has been the pick of the bowlers in this series so far between both the teams. Bumrah was exceptional in his ability and played a key role in the team’s victory in the first Test in Perth.
In the first Test, he led the team in Rohit Sharma’s absence and led from the front. Bumrah was also named Man of the Match for his brilliance with the ball. He scored eight goals in the match.
Mohammed Siraj is another fast bowler in the team with previous playing experience in Australia. Siraj made his Test debut during India’s recent tour of Australia and has since become an integral part of India’s Test team.
The series is currently tied at 1-1 and both teams are giving each other a tough fight so far. When India struck first in Perth, Australia bounced back with a brilliant comeback win in Adelaide.
