“We spoke to a lot of the specialists about his injuries, but we did not get a decent response. This World Cup is important, but his career is more important. He is only 27-28, there is a lot of cricket in front of him. So, we can’t take such a risk. All the specialists we spoke to were of the same opinion. There is a lot of cricket ahead of him, he will play a lot more and help India win matches. There is no doubt that he will be missed.” These words were spoken by none otherthan the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma. The hypocrite that is Rohit Sharma.

He is worried about Bumrah career than the T20 World Cup. Bumrah has lot to contribute to India. He still has another 8 years of high quality cricket. It makes sense to save his career but the point is who is the one who is talking about it? It is Rohit Sharma. The same Rohit Sharma who manages Bumrah for Mumbai Indians. Some years ago, when asked whether he will consider resting Bumrah before the 2019 World Cup, he replied that he will not even consider resting Bumrah. Why this double standard? Is playing for IPL more important than playing for the country?

Injured players are more of a liability than an asset

I do support that Bumrah must not be risked when he is unfit. It is a noble intention but to selectively impose such restrictions is what I am concerned about. Playing for the nation is much more important than playing for any franchise. It is time the Indian players understand that and it is instilled on their minds. This will perhaps be Rohit Sharma’s last T20 World Cup. Definitely as the captain. He needs all his main players to be able to win the tournament. One can only hope that he had analysed it thoroughly.

I do not have anything else to add to the above. It makes me really sad to read Rohit’s comments while he didn’t bother about it while captaining Mumbai.

In other news

Roger Binny has become the new BCCI president. He has replaced the outgoing Saurav Ganguly. Binny played for the country more than 30 years ago. As such, he may not be intune with the modern game though he is following the game. However, it is good to note that another actual cricketer has become the president. I am not expecting anything great out of the new appointment afterall, I expected a lot to happen under Ganguly but it didn’t materialise. I will write a detailed blog on this later.

India will not tour Pakistan

The Asia Cup ODI tournament is supposed to be held in Pakistan in 2023. The BCCI secretary has said that India will not tour Pakistan for obvious reasons. In that case, Pakistan can either choose to go ahead with the tournament without India or the tournament itself be played, where else, UAE anyway. India pulling out of the tournament is such a huge deal. Gate receipts and satellite telecast is bound to suffer. The ACC stands to lose a substantial amount of money. Nowadays, every multi-team tournament has an India vs Pakistan fixture.

The aim is not impossible to decipher. It is to milk upto the last pound or rupee possible. The ICC and the ACC are oblivious to the implications of such games. This must stop. The schedule must follow a process and if India and Pakistan are to meet in the knock-outs, so be it. Ofcourse, there is no guarantee that both or either of them will qualify. I do not think that forcing such politically sensitive games into the schedule is the correct way.

Pakistan’s reaction


As expected Pakistan have reacted rather strongly.

“The overall impact of such statements have the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communities, and can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC Events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle,” the statement reads.

Will BCCI be perturbed by this? I do not think so. India will not be bothered if Pakistan tours. It can be easily offset. ICC’s fortune may drop a little but it will be hard to influence the Indian board.

Wrapping up the hypocrite that is Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma as the captain is making all the wrong noises. He has already lost the Asia Cup that India were expected to atleast reach the finals if not win it. He is unlikely to get a chance to win outside of India because India are not slated to travel overseas until December 2023 when India will tour South Africa. With his fitness, it is not a given that he will be in the squad. This is his only chance.

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Bumrah is ruled out of another important tournament again

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup because of a back injury. It surely is a big setback for the Indian team who are struggling with their bowling. His action is such that this is bound to happen now or in the future. It has happened now. Back injury is quite serious. For now, BCCI has said that he needs 6 weeks of rest but it is almost certain that he needs surgery. It can be postponed but it cannot be avoided. Be that as it may, I am pleased that he is out of the World Cup. Let me explain in Bumrah is ruled out of another important tournament again. Ever since Bumrah made his debut for the country, he has been treated gently. He was given frequent breaks and for quite a longtime, he didn’t play a single Test in India. Precisely because of the fact that spin will be the preferred mode of attack on Indian soil and as such it is not worth playing Bumrah on such surfaces where he will be required to bend his back. Poor Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma toiled hard on these wickets but were overlooked on wickets that suited the faster bowlers. Not that I am complaining because they didn’t utilise their chances but it shows how Bumrah was wrapped in cotton wool throughout his career. He was always wrapped in cotton wool The selectors, BCCI and the team management did not wanted to exert Bumrah way too much so that his career can be prolonged. It was a noble thought but it has its own drawbacks. Bumrah’s action is such that he is likely to be injured. That is the reason he was treated so warmly by everyone concerned. It was the reason he was allowed to skip games for India as and when he wishes. During the England tour of India in the early half of 2021, Bumrah bowled just 2 overs in the game at Ahmedabad and promptly asked to be rested for the 4th test. The team management obliged. Would he have done the same while playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL? That is the whole bloody point. Rohit is as much a culprit as Bumrah is A Bumrah whose action is thought to be problematic and whose action is likely to lead to injuries and who for that precise reason was rested from half of Indian games, is allowed to play in every IPL game regardless of it being an inconsequential game or a live one. Ironically, it is the current Indian captain who made Bumrah play in every game. Far too long, there is always this suspicion of Mumbai players not playing upto their capacity while playing for the country but are always over eager when they play for Mumbai. This was even confirmed by Sanjay Manjrekar in his autobiography. As if to prove Manjrekar correct, Rohit Sharma is at it again. Ofcourse, Bumrah is not from Maharashtra but he has spent most of his career playing in the IPL for Mumbai. "Honestly, coming back after a couple of months, a back injury can be tricky," Rohit said at the post-match presentation on September 23. "So, we just have to give him more time. I am not going to analyse too much about how he bowled - it was good to see him on the park … Slowly and steadily he is coming back to his rhythm, that's what he's been talking about when he is bowling in the nets as well. So it was good to see him on the park, bowling full throttle." It was the same Rohit who a few years ago when he replied to a reporter’s question of whether he will rest Bumrah during the IPL before an important series, Rohit said that there was no way he will rest Bumrah. My response to Vijayakumar Alagappan This is what I responded to Vijayakumar the owner of the website 12thkhiladi where he suggested on Twitter that no tournament is worth sacrificing Bumrah A world cup is a trophy worth sacrificing anyone. How come despite playing in only half the games for India, he is injured? On the otherhand, he ends up playing all the games in IPL for 10 years? Why is he being treated as a special player despite failing to bowl India to victory while defending targets in the 4th innings? He got 5 opportunities in 2 years and utterly failed in all of them. I am pleased that he is out of the World Cup. He is overrated. Let him retire and play IPL forever. Wrapping up Bumrah is ruled out of another important tournament again It really is a shame that the Indian cricketers and a lot of the supporters have got the their priorities wrong. Playing for the nation must be given top priority. For someone like Bumrah who is likely to be laid low because of injury, he must be prevented from playing in inconsequential IPL games or better still, he must be barred from playing in IPL from time to time. Bumrah has tweeted that he is gutted for missing out of the squad for the World Cup. When I read that, I can only chuckle within myself. This guy didn’t really mean it. Has Bumrah really repaid the faith of the Indian selectors and the team management when it comes to crunch situations? I am afraid the answer is a big fat No. I have said this before. Bumrah’s days a fast running out. He is yet to play a meaningful role in Indian series wins. He has already lost 5 opportunities of winning Test and series outside India. Twice in South Africa, one in New Zealand, the WTC finals of 2021 and the 5th Test against England at Edgbaston. He runs the risk of becoming a tragic hero. Is Bumrah willing to listen? Does he have the yearning to go down in history as India’s best match winner or does he want to go down as an also-ran? It is something only he can decide

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