Jasprit Bumrah looks set to walk straight back into India’s XI for Thursday’s T20 World Cup fixture against Namibia, having bowled at full tilt during Tuesday’s training session in Delhi. The fast-bowler sat out the opener against the USA with a fever but, according to assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, “he’s feeling a lot better and moving a lot better”.
While Bumrah’s return seems a formality, India are keeping a closer eye on opener Abhishek Sharma and all-rounder Washington Sundar. Abhishek lasted one ball against the USA before a stomach bug forced him off the field, and he has not trained since.
“Abhi still has got a few issues with his tummy,” ten Doeschate said on Tuesday. “We are hopeful he’ll be available for the game in two days’ time.”
Washington, meanwhile, re-joined the squad on Monday after recovering from a side strain picked up in January’s home series against New Zealand. He bowled and batted in the nets – gentle at first, then some throw-downs – and reported no pain. “The luxury of having four all-rounders means we can flip the combination,” ten Doeschate explained. “He does fit into one of our combinations where we can play three spinners … or the combination where he replaces one of the spinners.”
If Abhishek is ruled out, India may push Sanju Samson to open alongside Ishan Kishan, a pairing last used before Samson’s lean patch against New Zealand. Samson and Kishan were the first hitters in the nets, followed by Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma – a hint that team management want their top order set early.
Pitch and conditions
Delhi’s World Cup curtain-raiser – a day match between Namibia and the Netherlands – offered noticeable grip and bounce for the slower bowlers. Thursday’s India-Namibia game will be under lights on a fresh surface, yet ten Doeschate is not expecting a radically different track. April and May IPL games here tend to be high-scoring, but the cooler February evenings are encouraging more hold in the pitch.
A different sort of wake-up
India were 77-for-6 against the USA before Suryakumar’s counter-punch lifted them to a defendable 161-for-9. Ten Doeschate reckons the wobble was useful rather than alarming. “Modern-day batter’s instinct is to hit every ball and hit for a six,” he said. “There are times where you have to apply yourself.” Dropping to the mid-seventies for six, he added, was “a good shake-up and wake-up” ahead of stiffer tests.
Selection puzzle
Three spinners? Two frontline quicks? Much depends on Washington’s fitness and the final reading of the Delhi square. India could field three slow options – Washington, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav – if the surface looks dry. Alternatively, they may retain the extra seamer, especially with Bumrah back to partner Arshdeep Singh.
Ten Doeschate admitted the jigsaw is not yet solved: “What we have available for this next game is going to be important.” India will confirm their XI after the eve-of-match training, but signs point towards Bumrah’s name inked in, a hopeful tick next to Abhishek, and a medical asterisk beside Washington.
Either way, the group-stage margin for error is slim. Namibia upset South Africa at the last edition and, with left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz already enjoying the Delhi grip, India know a tidy performance is essential, not optional.
