Team India skipper Shubman Gill has opened up on the Indian ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s absence for the two-match Test tour of Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to start on Saturday, August 15, in Galle.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the first Test in Galle, Gill has asserted that Bumrah’s absence would provide an ideal opportunity for other pacers to step up and do well for the national side.
Bumrah was initially named in India’s squad but could not recover from his knee injury. The BCCI subsequently added Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi to the squad as his replacement.
“You need to keep trying different things to make things happen. Bumrah is not here, but it is an opportunity for others to step up and make a mark,” Gill said at the pre-match press conference.
Shubman Gill On Sri Lanka Tour:
Bumrah last played in the recent three-match ODI series against England. He injured his knee during the second ODI and was ruled out of the series decider. He is yet to recover from his injury and is undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.
On the other hand, Gill also heaped praise on Manav Suthar and reckoned that the spinner can contribute as a lower-order batter while also making an impact with the ball.
“Manav Suthar has the potential to be a good number eight. He is a very good bowler and, with backing and confidence, he will do really well here. Both Prasidh and Gurnoor have been very good. Prasidh has been bowling the best I have seen. It is a tough decision,” Gill added.
India’s updated squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan
