Rohit Sharma clears the air after Bumrah quietly withdrawn from England ODIs; drops hint on KL Rahul vs Rishabh Pant

India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar had rested his hopes on a Jasprit Bumrah return in the final ODI against England before the team leaves for the Champions Trophy in Dubai on February 15. However, the fast bowler was silently ignored for the three-match contest at home, which begins on Thursday, sparking further concerns about his Champions Trophy participation. India captain Rohit Sharma did not rule out the possibility of Bumrah's return next week, but revealed that the team management has yet to receive an official update on his fitness. Rohit Sharma offered clarity on no Jasprit Bumrah in England ODIs

Bumrah had incurred a back injury during the Sydney Test against Australia earlier last month. He hence missed the T20I series against England at home, did not feature in the Ranji Trophy amid a bandwagon of India Test regulars making a comeback to domestic cricket following a fresh BCCI mandate, and on Tuesday, was silently snubbed for the ODI series at home against Jos Buttler's men.

Given Agarkar's statement in the press conference last month during the squad announcement for the Champions Trophy, it was expected that he would be included in the squad for the England ODIs. But his name was not part of the revised squad which BCCI shared on Tuesday with spinner Varun Chakaravarthy being the additional inclusion.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday ahead of the opening ODI game against England at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, Rohit admitted he has his fingers crossed over Bumrah's return, but added that he could only offer clarity on the date once the team management gets an update on the 31-year-old's medical assessment.

"Jasprit, we are waiting on some update about his scans and stuff, which was due to happen in some days. Once we get that scan, we will be able to give you more clarity on where he stands right now," he said.

Rohit responds to KL Rahul vs Rishabh Pant

One of the biggest question India need to answer in the ODI series against England, keeping Champions Trophy is mind, is whether they want KL Rahul as the wicketkeeper-batter at No. 5 or have a left-handed option in Rishabh Pant.

In the absence of Pant, Rahul was picked as the keeper-batter during the 2023 ODI World Cup, scoring 452 runs. While Rahul offers stability, with India's top order being predominantly right-handed, having the left-handed Pant could be a valuable option for variety. However, Rohit subtly hinted that India are likely to maintain continuity in the batting line-up and hence will back the Karnataka star.

"Obviously, KL has been keeping wickets for us in the ODI format for a number of years now, and he has done pretty well. If you look at the last 10-15 ODIs, he has done exactly what the team required him to do. Rishabh is also there. We have an option of playing either one of them. Both are capable of winning games for us, so it is a good headache to have. But looking at the past, continuity is also very important for us. That is where we stand as a team," he said.

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