The India Cricket Team find themselves in a precarious situation. Ahead of the IND vs BAN Test series, the ace front three pacers won’t be playing in the Duleep Trophy. Adding more concerns is the illness of Mohammed Siraj. Jasprit Bumrah won’t play Duleep Trophy and will be rested for the Test series. Mohammed Shami too isn’t an option as he recovers from his injury.
India received a fresh jolt when Mohammed Siraj too was pulled out of the Duleep Trophy. Navdeep Saini has been brought in as the replacement for Siraj. The BCCI Selection Committee has claimed that Siraj is ill and won’t be fit in time for the first round of the Duleep Trophy fixtures.
What will be India’s pace options?
As things stand, both Bumrah and Shami are not playing in the IND vs BAN Tests. Things will turn even worse if Siraj doesn’t recover in time for the first Test match. In such a case, India’s pace attack will have to be extremely novice. Arshdeep Singh is an option who is eager to prove his worth in red ball cricket.
Two further options come in the form of Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep. Interestingly, it will be an extremely weakened pace attack for the hosts. While the BCCI is hopeful that Mohammed Siraj will be fit before the Tests, it remains to be seen when he joins the India camp before the start of the first game.
Should Siraj fail to recover in time, then India’s ace pace options will be severely limited. Arshdeep Singh will make his debut in Test cricket. Mukesh Kumar would be the most experienced campaigner with 3 Test matches under his belt. While Akash Deep would be ready to play his 2nd Test match for the country.
