T20 WC: Jasprit Bumrah Misses Tournament Opener Due To Illness

T20 WC: Jasprit Bumrah misses tournament opener due to illness (Image Source: IANS)

T20 World Cup: Senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable for selection in India's opener 2026 T20 World Cup opener against the USA due to illness, said the BCCI in a statement on Saturday

"Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable for selection for India’s opening T20 World Cup fixture against the USA due to illness. The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his condition."

As a result, Mohammed Siraj was added to the playing XI, who was recently drafted into the 15-player squad after Harshit Rana was ruled out due to a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4. Mohammed Siraj last played a T20I for India in July 2024 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.

“Following consultations with a specialist and subsequent scans, the BCCI medical team deemed him unfit to participate in the tournament. The team management wishes him a speedy recovery. Mohd. Siraj will join the team as Harshit’s replacement in the squad,” BCCI had stated in its press release.

India also missed out on Sanju Samson and picked in-form Ishan Kishan as the first-choice wicket-keeper batter in the tournament opener. Earlier, USA won the toss and elected to bowl against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

Ishan Kishan will open the innings with Abhishek Sharma. Ishan scored 53 in the warm-up game against South Africa as an opener. He scored 103 as one drop against New Zealand in their last T20 game in Trivandrum.

Playing XIs:

Ishan Kishan will open the innings with Abhishek Sharma. Ishan scored 53 in the warm-up game against South Africa as an opener. He scored 103 as one drop against New Zealand in their last T20 game in Trivandrum.

USA: Saiteja Mukkamalla, Andries Gous (wk), Monank Patel (capt), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Shubham Ranjane, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan.

Article Source: IANS