Four days before the first ODI against Australia, BCCI announced that Jasprit Bumrah would be flying back home. He had been rested from that three-match series, as well as for the limited-overs games in New Zealand that followed. The news evoked a mixed response.
AN ODI FORCE ONCE MORE
The Shami returns
Mohammed Shami has translated his success in Tests to his efficacy with the white ball. © Getty
To say Bumrah is crucial to India's ODI plans would be an understatement. He is the linchpin of their bowling attack in limited-overs' cricket, even more so than Bhuvneshwar Kumar. For him to miss eight out of 13 remaining ODIs before the 2019 World Cup made sense from only one perspective. The team management not only wanted to rest their most important ODI weapon, but more importantly, also wanted to hand out final trials to fill up two pacers' spots for the English summer.
Enter,
