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Chetan Sharma backs Bumrah over playing only three tests in England series

admin — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 22:05:00 +0000

India’s Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of England’s Liam Dawson during day 4 of the 4th test match, at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah may have drawn criticism for playing only three Tests during the series against England to manage his workload, but former BCCI chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma has backed the bowler, saying players should go by the physios’ advice as they are the “better judges”.

The injury-prone Bumrah played the first, third and fourth Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar five-match series, skipping two matches with Mohammed Siraj leading the pace-bowling attack.

Sharma, himself a former pace bowler, said it was akin to a patient having to follow the doctor’s advice.

“If the medical team advises, if the doctor tells me that I have to take antibiotics, then I have to consume them.”

“If our physios is telling a player to manage workload, I think we should listen to them because they are the better judges,” said Sharma on the sidelines of the country’s public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati signing a deal with London-based cricket analytics company CricViz on Monday for the telecast of 104 episodes of “The Great Indian Cricket Show” on Doordarshan.

Sharma, who forged a potent partnership with Kapil Dev for nearly half-a-decade and went on to take more than 125 wickets in Tests and ODIs before becoming the chairman of selectors, added that the team’s performance in the England Test series gave him confidence that it will win the Asia Cup, which begins in the UAE next month.

“I know that whoever is selected will be the best for the country. And the kind of cricket we are playing right now, I’m really proud with the way India played in England.

“And I’m very confident that we are definitely going to win the Asia Cup [to be played in T20 format] because soon after that we are playing the T20 World Cup [in 2026] in India.”

“It’s a very big thing when you are playing [the World Cup] in you own backyard. If the intent is right, the results will also be good,” said Sharma after the event, which also had the likes of Madan Lal, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning side, and former India players Murali Kartik and Aakash Chopra and Prasar Bharati Chairman Navneet Kumar Sehgal.

On whether Test skipper Shubman Gill, who smashed four centuries during the drawn Test series against England recently, should be included in the Asia Cup side to be led by charismatic batter Syuryakumar Yadav, Sharma said, India should select its best possible 15-member squad for the continental showpiece.

“Look, that is up to the selectors what they see. My opinion does not matter because I am no longer the chairman [of selectors], so I will only say that the best possible team should be selected. We have such good cricketers that not just the top-15 but even if the top-30 are selected, they are all very good. Really proud of them,” he added.

Published – August 19, 2025 03:35 am IST

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Ex-BCCI Selector’s ‘Rohit Sharma’ Solution Amid India Batting Crisis

admin — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 09:13:13 +0000

Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Chetan Sharma on Saturday said that India skipper Rohit Sharma should open in the upcoming Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The 2024/25 Test season, which started with a series against Bangladesh, has been disastrous for Rohit. Not only did he endure a rare home series loss–a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand, India’s first series defeat at home in 12 years–but he has also managed just 152 runs in seven Tests at an average of 11.69, with only one fifty in 13 innings. His highest score this season is 52.

In 13 Tests this year, Rohit has scored 607 runs at an average of 26.39, with two centuries and two fifties in 24 innings. His highest score is 131.

The series is currently tied at 1-1 ahead of the Boxing Day Test, set to be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Speaking to ANI, Chetan Sharma reflected on the performance of the Indian bowlers, noting that they are “doing well” in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He emphasised that other bowlers need to step up and support Jasprit Bumrah, adding that bowlers must “hunt in pairs” to succeed.

“Our bowlers are doing really well. However, they need to support Bumrah effectively. He cannot take five or six wickets in every match. The second line of bowlers–be it Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, or Nitish Kumar Reddy–must also hunt in pairs. We need to score more runs. We’re not meeting our expectations with the bat, but it’s easier said than done. Our batting has a lot of depth. With two matches left and favourable pitches, I expect us to perform well,” Chetan told ANI.

He also praised Rohit Sharma, describing him as a skilled batsman who can relieve pressure on the middle order by taking on the Australian bowlers.

“I believe Rohit Sharma should open the innings. He is a very good batsman and will help the middle order perform better by putting pressure on the Australian bowlers,” he added.

Australia has made a couple of changes to its squad, addressing the absence of Josh Hazlewood and concerns in the top order. Sam Konstas has replaced Nathan McSweeney for the fourth Test.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.

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“What Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Have Done…”: Ex-Selector Gives ‘Lean Patch’ Verdict

admin — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 12:41:59 +0000

Indian cricket team star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma faced a lot of criticism from fans as well as experts following their poor show in the Test series against New Zealand. The two cricketers failed to perform with the bat as India slumped to a humiliating 0-3 loss in the three-match series at home. While a number of ex-India cricketers have criticised the duo for their massive dip in form, former BCCI chief selector Chetan Sharma jumped to their support. Sharma pointed out that both Virat as well as Rohit have contributed a lot to Indian cricket before he predicted a good show from them against Australia.

“Let’s honor and respect what Rohit and Virat have done for the country. Players like Rohit and Virat are never out of form. They are never in a lean or bad patch. These words shouldn’t be used for them. We are thankful to them. They are still doing it. We always talk about them and focus on them and want them to shine every time because they are superstars. Just wait and watch what Rohit and Virat do in Australia. They will dazzle with their bats,” he told Times of India.

Earlier, India head coach Gautam Gambhir hit back at former Australia captain Ricky Ponting for questioning Virat Kohli’s place in Test team after a series of low scores. The India head coach backed his senior players including captain Rohit Sharma and said Ponting should talk about the Australian team.

Both Rohit and Kohli were not at their best in the recently concluded three-match home series against New Zealand. In six innings, Rohit managed only 91 runs including a half-century while Kohli scored 93 runs of which 70 came in the second innings of first Test in Bengaluru.

“What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should be talking about Australia. Look, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still passionate about the game and want to achieve more,” Gambhir told reporters in his pre-departure press conference.

“They are hungry for success and have done exceptionally well for the country over the years. Even the other players are doing a fine job, and I am sure we will improve as a group. I have no concerns regarding Virat and Rohit,” he added.

(With IANS inputs)

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