16 October,2022 07:42 AM IST | Melbourne | PTI
Rohit Sharma
The Indian team could not have risked playing star pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the T20 World Cup with a dodgy back while his replacement Mohammed Shami is on his way to full recovery from COVID-19, said captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday.
Speaking at the captains' media interaction ahead of the T20 World Cup, Rohit gave an update on Shami, who has been drafted into the squad despite having not played a competitive game since July.
"Shami had COVID two-three weeks ago. He was called to the NCA then, he worked hard for the last 10 days and he is in Brisbane. He will practice with us tomorrow," Rohit said.
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"Whatever we have heard on his recovery is positive. He did three, four bowling sessions with full intensity. We have made a lot of effort to do player management over the last 12 months but injuries happen. If you see, whoever has come into the squad, he has got matches under his belt."
Bumrah was ruled out of the tournament with a back injury, leaving a big hole in the bowling department. While the batting has come a long way in the last one year, bowling remains the team's weak link.
"Bumrah is a quality bowler. We spoke to a lot of specialists about his [back] injury but the response was not very positive. World Cup is important but his career is more important, he is only 27-28.
"We could not have risked playing him here, that is what the specialists also said. We will miss him.
"Injuries are unfortunate, but inevitable and that is one of the main reasons why India focused on creating a bigger pool of players over the last 12 months," said Rohit.
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