Shardul Thakur to replace injured Jasprit Bumrah for England ODIs

Fast bowler Shardul Thakur will replace the injured Jasprit Bumrah in India’s ODI squad for the three matches against England.

Bumrah had already been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series in England, having broken his left thumb during India’s 76-run win in the first T20I against Ireland on June 27.

On Friday, the BCCI confirmed that the fast bowler would miss the ODIs too, stating that he had undergone surgery in Leeds on July 4 before returning to India.

This is the second injury to hit India’s ODI team before the series, with spinner Washington Sundar being ruled out earlier with an ankle problem and replaced by Axar Patel.

Shardul, 26, last played for India in the Nidahas Trophy T20I series in Sri Lanka in March, and hadn’t been picked for the T20I or ODI squads for England. He is already in the UK though, and was an important part of the India A squad that won the tri-series involving England Lions and West Indies A.

Shardul took eight wickets in four matches at an average of 21.37 and an economy rate of 5.02. He was on standby to replace Bumrah, with India A coach Rahul Dravid praising his performance for the A side.

Despite Bumrah’s absence, India have several pace options to call on in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Siddarth Kaul and Hardik Pandya, with Shardul now added to the mix.

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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