Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah left the Indian team ahead of the third T20I due to a family emergency. While the BCCI and the team management confirmed that the decision has been taken due to personal reasons, reports indicate that the fast bowler has returned home as a close family member is hospitalised.
Bumrah was not available for the third T20I against South Africa at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on 15 December. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the time of toss that Bumrah has returned home. It is noteworthy that the right-arm fast bowler achieved 100 wickets in T20I during the second game on December 9.
Surya said, “We have made two forced changes. Axar Patel will not play because he is not well and Bumrah will not play because he has some personal reasons.”
Will Jasprit Bumrah play the fourth T20 match against South Africa?
BCCI confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah returned home due to personal reasons and was not available for the match. The board said it will share updates on their availability for the remaining games at a later stage.
A day after India’s win in Dharamsala, it was revealed that Bumrah left the team due to a family emergency. According to a PTI report, a close member of the fast bowler’s family is currently in the hospital.
The official said that if the situation improves then Bumrah can return for the fourth or fifth T20 match. However, the recovery of his family member remains the top priority.
“If everything goes well, he may return for the fourth or fifth match (in Ahmedabad). But the first priority is the recovery of his family member,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana stepped up in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
Despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, India tightened their grip on the T20I series with a comfortable win over South Africa in Dharamsala to take a 2-1 lead. The host team won with a brilliant bowling performance which kept the visiting team under constant pressure.
South Africa had to struggle from the beginning due to continuous fall of wickets. Arshdeep Singh struck by dismissing the key batsmen early, while Harshit Rana opened the innings by dismissing Dewald Brevis.
Aiden Markram was the only bright spot for South Africa. He scored 61 runs in 46 balls, which included six fours and two sixes. Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakraborty and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey got one wicket each.
India cruise chases easy target, takes 2-1 lead in series
India got off to a great start chasing the target and Abhishek Sharma played freely in the powerplay. Before getting out, he scored 35 runs in 18 balls, which included three fours and as many sixes.
Shubman Gill kept things steady by making useful contributions, while Suryakumar Yadav also added a few runs. South Africa managed to slow down the scoring for a short period in the middle overs, but the target was never out of reach.
Shivam Dubey finished the match brilliantly by hitting a six and a four in back-to-back balls and won. The fourth T20 match will be played in Lucknow on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the remaining matches remains unclear, as his return depends on the recovery of his family member.
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