Rohit Sharma addressed a press conference on the eve of the first ODI against England in Nagpur.
The right-arm quick has been dealing with a back issue since the fifth and final BGT Test against Australia in Sydney last month.
During the squad announcement presser last month, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had pinned his hopes on Bumrah’s return in the third and final ODI against England.
However, the ace pacer’s name didn’t feature in India’s revised squad for the England series which the BCCI shared on February 4 with spinner Varun Chakaravarthy being the additional inclusion, fueling further concerns about his Champions Trophy participation.
On the eve of the first ODI against England in Nagpur, India skipper Rohit Sharma didn’t rule out the possibility of Bumrah's return next week but revealed that the team management is yet to receive an official update on his fitness.
"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," Rohit told reporters on Wednesday (February 5).
The Indian team management faces a tricky task of picking the wicketkeeper-batter between consistent KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant, who will help fit a left-handed option in the batting line-up.
Rohit addressed this issue, subtly hinting that India are likely to maintain continuity in the batting order and hence the Karnataka star will be preferred.
"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," the Indian captain remarked.