For the scribes who spend any length of time covering domestic cricket in India, there may be jaded familiarity with a line trotted out by players aspiring for higher honours when probed on matters of selection. “Our job is to just score runs or take wickets, selection will take care of itself,” is the common refrain.

A little over a week ago, with the announcement of India’s squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh, a fresh reminder arrived that mere runs or wickets don’t always suffice. The nub of the subsequent critique directed at the selection panel from fans and former cricketers was this: do performances in the Ranji Trophy, the country’s premier First Class tournament, really matter while picking India’s Test team?

Recurring question

It is a question that crops up usually when a Test squad is chosen close on the heels of a Ranji season, and overlooks the standout run-getter or wicket-taker. 

You don’t have to rewind to the distant past to consider the predicament of Sarfaraz Khan. For a span of three seasons from 2019-20 to 2022-23 — the red-ball tournament was cancelled in 2020-21 due to Covid — the middle-order batter from Mumbai churned out runs like clockwork. In the 2021-22 season, Sarfaraz rose to the top of the leaderboard with 982 runs in nine innings at a Bradmanesque average of 122.75. It came on the back of 928 runs at 154.66 in 2019-20.

Yet, a call-up eluded Sarfaraz until the beginning of 2024 when he was drafted into the squad for the second Test of a five-match series against England. A handful of opportunities with mixed results later, the 28-year-old, a few kilos lighter but with his insatiable appetite for run-scoring undiminished, finds himself back on the periphery of the Test set-up.

The trigger for the renewal of this debate is the decision to name Gurnoor Brar in India’s pace attack for the assignment against Hashmatullah Shahidi & Co. With Jasprit Bumrah resting after the exertions of the T20 World Cup and the IPL, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are the other pacers in the 15-member contingent.

Gurnoor’s maiden call-up has seemingly come at the expense of Jammu & Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi, who has produced jaw-dropping returns over the past two seasons. After claiming 44 scalps in 2024-25, the medium-pacer propelled himself to the front and centre of his team’s epochal title-winning feat in 2025-26 with 60 wickets. Nabi’s overall career figures read 156 wickets in 41 First Class appearances at an average of 18.37 and a strike-rate of 38.1.

In comparison, Gurnoor has picked up 52 wickets in 18 matches (average 27.30, strike-rate 45.3) over the course of three years. Last season, the 26-year-old from Punjab played just two Ranji matches and snared a total of four victims.

Now, it isn’t exactly good optics that a fast bowler who has honed his craft to a fine degree on the Ranji circuit is ignored in favour of another whose numbers don’t quite scream for attention. To infer on the basis of these examples, however, that Ranji performances have entirely ceased to matter wouldn’t be accurate either. In this very squad, for instance, the emergence of left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, whose 69 scalps were the most in the 2024-25 Ranji season, points to his exertions in domestic cricket getting due reward.

As chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained during a media interaction, Nabi, whose rise from the spartan surroundings of Baramulla is an endearing triumph of human spirit, hasn’t gone unnoticed. “You don’t necessarily pick a lot of seamers for a Test team in India. Nabi was close. There was a chat about him. He has had some incredible performances for Jammu & Kashmir,” Agarkar said.

What selectors mull over

Reassuring as that is for the 29-year-old from J&K, Gurnoor’s induction underlines that there is more to selection than plain numbers. Whilst evaluating fast bowlers in particular, the presence of certain qualitative attributes to supplement the prevailing dynamics of the pace attack is an important consideration for the selectors.

“It is not only about someone taking wickets. It is also about the balance of the squad and how players fit into that. It is not always about picking the best players. It is about picking players that play best with each other,” former national selector Jatin Paranjpe, who is head coach of North Mumbai Panthers in the Mumbai Premier League, told The Hindu.

By most accounts, Gurnoor’s ability to generate disconcerting bounce — he stands at 6’5” — at brisk pace ticks the right boxes. The first whiff of the Agarkar-led panel’s interest in the man from Muktsar came when he was drafted into the India-A set-up last year. “With Gurnoor, we have seen a lot of promise over the last season-and-a-half. He’s a tall guy with a bit of pace,” the chief selector noted.

If India is to return to the summit of Test cricket, it is imperative for Shubman Gill to have at his disposal a well-rounded pace attack, of the kind that Virat Kohli marshalled during his tenure. 

In this context, the urge to give Gurnoor a run-out is understandable, for he could be an ideal foil to Bumrah and Siraj. Bumrah, of course, is a cunning exponent of late swing with a bag of other tricks up his sleeve. Siraj can shape the new ball away from the right-hander, but relies primarily on the wobble-seam delivery to home in on the stumps. But both are at their most lethal when targeting the fuller end of the good-length zone. The likes of Akash Deep and Harshit Rana, who tend to move the ball off the seam, also operate at comparable speeds from similar release points.

Since the exit of Ishant Sharma in 2021, what India hasn’t had is a genuinely tall quick who can consistently unsettle batters with variable bounce. Sure, there is Prasidh, six Tests old, with the tools at 6’3” to hit the deck and cause discomfort. But the 30-year-old has been impeded by an erratic radar.

It is worth remembering that the absence of a lanky, menacing operator was keenly felt on South African shores in 2021-22. At Johannesburg and Cape Town, where India lost to fritter away a 1-0 advantage, South Africa’s speedsters leveraged their towering frames to draw more uneven bounce.

A different profile

Nabi’s strengths lie elsewhere. He is not very quick through the air, nor has he the physical gifts to extract considerable lift. His main ally is the capacity to find lateral movement without erring in line or length — think of his dismissals of K.L. Rahul and Karun Nair in February’s Ranji final in Hubballi. The J&K spearhead can also get the old ball to reverse, as he did to great effect in an encounter against Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

For the moment, Nabi will have to stay patient. And perhaps believe in the cliche that his job is to keep taking wickets; selection will take care of itself.

Published – May 30, 2026 02:28 am IST

Gujarat Titans’ Kagiso Rabada during the practice session ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) – 2026 cricket match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Rajasthan on Friday, May 8, 2026.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill during a practice session ahead of the IPL 2026 T20 cricket match against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on Thursday, May 02, 2026.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir believes that the joy he felt after dismissing India’s Mohammed Siraj to seal the Lord’s Test in favour England will stay with him “forever” and was also generous enough to give a slice of credit to former teammate Moeen Ali for advising him to bowl the carrom ball.

The 21-year-old, who was ruled out of the remainder of the five-Test series after suffering a fracture on his little finger at the Lord’s, had already dismissed Siraj with the carrom ball in the second Test at Edgbaston.

With Ravindra Jadeja (61 not out) threatening to take India home at London, skipper Ben Stokes summoned Bashir for the final act, and the youngster did not disappoint, ousting Siraj with a delivery that bounced and turned viciously.

“I met Moeen Ali for the first time at Edgbaston and we spoke a lot,” Bashir told The Sunday Times. “Mo encouraged me to bowl the carrom ball. He’s someone I’ve always looked up to and for him to say, ‘Back yourself to do it,’ meant a lot.”

Bashir said he had been working on the variation for some time but only gained the confidence to use it after Moeen was invited to England’s training camp.

“I just wanted to show that I’ve got that strength in me. I bowled it a few times and it came out nicely. I got Siraj out with it [stumped in the first innings], with a really slow ball — it was only about 43 to 44mph.

“Since Edgbaston, I’ve been in touch with Mo a fair few times. He’s a legend and someone I look up to massively, especially being an off spinner in England, which is not an easy job,” he added.

Chasing 193, India were reeling at 112/8 on the final afternoon, but Jadeja stood firm first with Jasprit Bumrah (5 off 54 balls) and then with Siraj, who resisted 29 deliveries before Bashir, bowling with his left-hand heavily strapped, found the breakthrough.

The delivery, which Siraj played down onto the pitch in front of the crease, spun back and rattled the base of his leg stump, sparking wild celebrations in England camp.

“We were creating chances, but just couldn’t get that wicket. I really wanted to get out there. Stokesy knew and gave me the go-ahead when he was on the field and I was on the bench. My left hand felt pretty good when I was bowling. I’m just glad I could make a difference.”

“We got Joe Root to come into silly point to put pressure on Siraj, and I just tried to put as many revs on that ball as I could. Luckily it popped from a length and when it hit his bat (and down into the ground), everyone was just looking, ‘Where is it?’”

Bashir said the moment will stay with him forever.

“From my angle I couldn’t really see [the bail coming off]. My reaction was off a lot of other peoples’ reaction. I was just relieved. That feeling will stay with me forever — at the home of cricket in front of a packed crowd. It doesn’t get better.”

Bashir had injured his non-bowling hand trying to take a return catch off Jadeja in India’s first innings. He later underwent surgery, with two pins inserted in his finger as he’s still awaiting clearance five weeks on.

Despite the pain, the spinner was involved in a gritty seven-run partnership with Jofra Archer, scoring two off nine balls in a match England eventually won by 22 runs.

“It [the injury] happened, I came off the field and went for a scan,” he recalled. “I knew it was pretty bad at that point, but I had plenty of pain-killers. There was no real conversation about me batting.

“My first ball from [Jasprit] Bumrah was a bouncer and the next ball a yorker, and it was one of those where the vibrations went right up through your hands. But I was always going to bat, even if it was only to add five-to-ten runs. In the grand scheme of things, they might matter.”

Bashir missed the remainder of the series as India clawed back to level it 2-2. His replacement Liam Dawson went wicketless in 47 overs at Old Trafford as India batted out a draw at 427/6 declared.

“It looked like the wicket flattened out and not much was happening. Even the Indian spinners struggled,” said Bashir, who took 10 wickets at 54.1.

For Indian spinners, Jadeja took seven wickets at 72.4 and Washington Sundar seven scalps at 38.6.

“It was an incredible series to be part of. I learnt a lot playing against some of the best players in the world. I was quite happy with my performances,” he added.

Published – August 19, 2025 03:50 am IST

It aligns with head coach Gautam Gambhir’s high-risk-high-reward approach but can India’s Champions Trophy squad, having lost its game-changing pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah to injury, deliver the goods at the ODI showpiece? The answer to that question is not particularly straightforward given the audacious calls taken to decide the final 15. The selection risks start with the drafting in of five spinners. The Dubai-bound flight will feature Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy in a spin-heavy bowling attack.

Harshit Rana has replaced Bumrah with the more experienced Mohammed Siraj relegated to the group of non-travelling reserves alongside young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and all-rounder Shivam Dube.

India’s matches will be held in Dubai, a venue where pacers have found more success traditionally in the 50-over format.

Available data shows that the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where India will play all their matches, has hosted 58 ODIs since 2009, and pacers have taken 466 wickets here at an average of 28.6 and an economy of 4.8.

The spinners have combined to take 334 wickets till now at the DICS, and their average goes up to 30 but with a slightly better economy of 4.2 “The Dubai surface has a bit more carry than say in Sharjah, and the pacers here have found some good success and that’s why Pakistan has picked more pacers in their squad, though they are supposed to play only a couple of matches here,” a former national selector told PTI.

“If you use the new ball well, then you can have a good purchase there. I am not faulting the selection of Varun. He is in good form, but I would have liked to see one more experienced pacer in that side, someone like Siraj,” he added.

Spinners’ role in Dubai?

From outside, having five spinners looks like an over-estimation of the conditions. But the management took a chance with Chakravarthy because of his excellent recent form.

Chakravarthy has been trusted to deliver in a multi-nation tournament, after his failure to do so in the T20 World Cup 2021 at the same venue.

What might have tilted the scales in his favour is the fact that none of India’s league stage opposition in the Champions Trophy — Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand — have played him before.

The way he managed to trouble England in the ongoing home series on account of being an unknown entity for the visitors also worked to his advantage.

But on the flip side, it leaves Kuldeep Yadav in peril. With Jadeja and Axar being the first-choice spinners considering their batting prowess, the fight for the third spinner’s slot will be between Kuldeep and Chakravarthy.

If India follows the template of the recent second ODI against England at Cuttack, Chakravarthy can pip the left-arm wrist spinner, at least in the initial stages of the Champions Trophy.

Why Siraj was overlooked?

Another selection paradox is placing Rana ahead of Siraj as Bumrah’s replacement for a tournament in which teams will have to do the tight-rope walk of three matches in the league phase.

Conventional thinking says that experience more than explosiveness matters in such events, but the wise men went ahead with Rana.

According to skipper Rohit Sharma, ineffectiveness with the old ball led to Siraj’s omission from the marquee event.

On that count, Rana has already given them two examples of his ability to strike when the white ball loses its lacquer.

In his T20I debut, Rana was the sixth bowler, a much-debated concussion substitute for Shivam Dube, and walked away with game-changing figures of 3 for 33.

In ODIs, Rana went for a few runs, but showed the gumption to bowl across three spells in three various passages of the match.

The risk that the management has taken is to trust Rana to grow in his role quickly and deliver in a high-pressure tournament as and when he is called for.

Why was Jaiswal dropped?

A common line of thinking can be that the selectors wanted a bowler with some mystery element about him in the squad once Bumrah was ruled out with a lower back injury.

So, they picked an in-form Chakravarthy. Fair call. But why select him in place of Jaiswal, an opener? Should they have replaced a spinner for him? Perhaps Washington Sundar could have been the one to be omitted to accommodate Chakravarthy.

However, in one shot, the selectors have also avoided the opening conundrum that haunted them in the first ODI against England at Nagpur.

It was tough to accommodate Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer in the same eleven but an injury to Virat Kohli gave them a temporary relief.

Once Kohli came back, Jaiswal missed out in the second match, and the big wigs did not want an encore in Dubai.

India is now placing confidence in Rohit, who made a hundred at Cuttack, and Shubman Gill, who scored two fifties in as many ODIs against England, to deliver at the top consistently in the Champions Trophy.

They are hoping that Kohli will find a way to return to his imperious scoring ways and will not put pressure on the rest of the middle-order.

The management has taken the risk of believing that the top five will be in fine fettle throughout the tournament.

They have also risked the traditionally iffy fitness of Hardik Pandya and his ability to plug the gap as the third seamer behind Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh or Harshit Rana.

Looking at the squad, India seem to have taken one risk too many. Will they get the desired high reward? Or will they falter? For now, it’s the charming uncertainty of a risk-ridden path.

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has cast doubt on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s inclusion in India’s final 15-man squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, suggesting that the young opener may no longer fit into the team’s plans. Chopra believes that with India’s batting order settling down, Jaiswal might not be needed, and Mohammed Siraj could instead be drafted in as a replacement, particularly if Jasprit Bumrah fails to recover in time.

Jaiswal, who made his ODI debut in the series opener against England in Nagpur on February 6, looked promising before falling to Jofra Archer for 15. However, with Virat Kohli returning to the XI for the second game, the 22-year-old was immediately dropped, raising questions about his role in India’s long-term plans.

Chopra, speaking on his YouTube show, stated that India’s top-order is looking stable with Rohit Sharma back in form, Shubman Gill as vice-captain, and Virat Kohli an immovable presence. He further added that Shreyas Iyer’s match-winning 59 off 36 balls in the first ODI had potentially reshaped India’s approach to squad selection.

“The batting order is looking set. Rohit has started scoring runs. Shubman Gill is our vice-captain, and he is in good form. Virat Kohli will eventually return to form. Even if he doesn’t, god forbid, India are not going to drop him,” Chopra said.

“Shreyas Iyer is at No. 4. At No. 5, whether it’s KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, or Axar Patel, the slot is settled. One of the two—Rahul and Pant—will have to be left out. And then you have an extra batter. You might not require Yashasvi Jaiswal. That’s a possibility.”

Chopra hinted that India initially wanted a left-right combination in the top order but have seemingly abandoned that approach after Iyer’s impact innings.

“You wanted to maintain a left-right combination in the batting order. Now, you won’t be able to do it. You have played your hand, and that has backfired,” he added.

With Bumrah’s availability for the Champions Trophy still uncertain, Chopra suggested that Siraj could find a way back into the squad. Siraj was not included in the ODI squad against England or the preliminary Champions Trophy squad, but his experience could be crucial if India requires three frontline fast bowlers.

“You can’t play Yashasvi. So, if you can’t play him, why take him to the Champions Trophy? I think Mohammed Siraj’s chances of playing are higher than Yashasvi Jaiswal’s,” Chopra explained.

“I see a strong chance for Mohammed Siraj to be included, especially if you feel the need for experience in the bowling attack against Pakistan. You might want to go in with three fast bowlers—Siraj could come in. Then, Yashasvi might have to make way.”

India’s strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who sustained a back injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January, is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. While he was named in India’s preliminary squad, his participation hinges on a final fitness assessment.

As the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, etc. joined their respective Ranji Trophy sides, a few others like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul gave the round a miss due to ‘injury issues’. A host of senior Team India stars marked their return to domestic cricket after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a 10-point diktat, all but mandating domestic cricket participation. Kohli and Rahul, who didn’t join their teams in the last round, cited ‘injury concerns’ as the reason behind their absence.

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, however, raised suspicion on Kohli and Rahul’s ‘injury concerns’, since they didn’t report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) over the said issues, as is the norm for BCCI-contracted players.

In his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar wondered if Rahul, Kohli and Mohammed Siraj would go on to play for their respective state teams in the next Ranji Trophy round, beginning January 30. He also wonders what action would the BCCI take against players who decide to give this round a miss too.

“It would be interesting to see if KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, and Virat Kohli, who didn’t play in last week’s round of Ranji Trophy matches, will play the next round,” he said.

Gavaskar feels players who gave the previous Ranji Trophy round a miss might have done so because of non-injury reasons, even though they claimed to have been battling injuries.

“More interesting would be what action the BCCI takes if they don’t play. Were they injured? Getting a medical certificate for an ‘injury’ is child’s play, and if they are injured, did they go to the NCA for treatment and recovery, as Nitish Reddy was sent the moment he had that side strain?

“Isn’t that the practice for the BCCI-contracted players, that as soon as there’s an injury, they have to report to the NCA, and only after the BCCI experts there certify them as fit can they resume playing for India? For all we know, these players might have opted out of the earlier games for non-injury reasons. We shall soon find out,” he wrote in the column.

Pacer Mohammed Siraj‘s exclusion from India’s Champions Trophy squad has raised a few eyebrows. On Saturday, the BCCI announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming ODI series against England, as well as the mega event. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Shami are the three front line pacers while youngster Harshit Rana will feature in the first two ODIs against England. Bumrah’s fitness situation is unclear with the BCCI set to provide a clarity on the same in early February.

Former India batter Aakash Chopra was baffled with Siraj’s omission, and labelled Harshit’s inclusion against England as surprising.

“No one knows about Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness. No one knows about Mohammed Shami’s fitness. Maybe he is fit, but no one knows how his form is going to be. Arshdeep has been named in the squad, and there is no place for Mohammed Siraj. He hasn’t done so much wrong that he is not even featured in the squad. I feel for DSP. Siraj, I am feeling for you. Siraj could have been picked. There could have been one lesser spinner. Harshit Rana is also ahead in the ODI queue ahead of Siraj, which is very surprising,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Chopra also spoke on India’s composition in the Champions Trophy, highlighting that the inclusion of just three front line pacers is a clear indication that the Rohit Sharma-led side will line-up with three spinners and two quicks.

“There are just three fast bowlers, and that is big news for me. When you pick three pacers, you will only play 2 fast bowlers. If you wanted to play three seamers, you would have picked four in your squad. It means that you have decided to play three spinners. You have played your hand before anything has even started,” he added.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana (only for two England ODIs).

File photo of Mohammed Siraj.© AFP

A significant point which came out from India’s squads for the ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy was the exclusion of pacer Mohammed Siraj, with captain Rohit Sharma saying his effectiveness goes down by a little bit when not handed the new ball. Rohit also said that Siraj, who has 71 ODI wickets against his name in 44 games, including picking a remarkable six-fer in the 2023 Asia Cup final, was not locked in for a certain role in the team, especially with question marks still around Jasprit Bumrah’s availability.

In place of Siraj, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has earned a spot after becoming the highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He joins the fast-bowling department for the twin 50-over assignments alongside Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya.

“That’s purely because we thought over it. We are not sure about Bumrah, whether he is going to play or not. So, we thought of wanting someone who can bowl with the new ball and at the backend. So we picked Arshdeep to bowl at the backend. Shami, we all saw what he can do with the new ball.”

“That is where we feel that Siraj’s effectiveness comes down a little bit when he is not bowling with the new ball. We discussed it at length about it, as we are only taking three seamers there because we wanted all these all-rounders with us. It’s an unfortunate thing that he has to miss out.”

“But we had no option but to get the guys who can perform a certain role. I personally feel we have guys who can bowl with the new ball, be effective in the middle, and at the back end, as well as cover all facets of the game. With these three bowlers, we think we can do that,” said Rohit in the press conference in Mumbai after the squad announcement.

In eight ODIs, Arshdeep has picked 20 wickets and brings in the variety via his left-arm angles and variations. For the England ODI series, India have also got seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana, with Rohit equating his inclusion with that of young left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“Arshdeep hasn’t played a lot of ODIs, but he has been around the white-ball circuit for a long time. I don’t think I feel comfortable saying he is not experienced. He has bowled some tough overs, played T20Is and can handle that pressure. Shami is a stalwart in white-ball cricket, and what he did in the World Cup was superb to watch.”

“With Harshit, we needed something different. He has shown he has got the potential. So, we need to back him. It’s very hard to ignore numbers, but look at Jaiswal. We picked him based on what he has done in the last 6–8 months. He has not played a single ODI game, but we still picked him because he has shown potential.”

“Sometimes, we need to do that, and in that, some players will miss out, which is very unlucky and unfortunate. If you talk about everyone, we can’t please everyone. Yes, it’s a tough call, but we needed to take it, as at the end of the day, you try and make the best team, and the best possible squad to win games under different situations,” added Rohit.

Shami is back in the 50-over set-up after last featuring in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he picked 24 wickets to become the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. An Achilles injury needing surgery kept him out of action for nearly a year, before making a competitive comeback in the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy in Indore last year.

Though Shami missed out on the Test series in Australia due to knee swelling, he has been picked for the five T20Is against England, starting on January 22 in Kolkata. “We don’t have to speak about the quality that he brings. To get him involved in T20Is was precisely that – just to get him back into international cricket and play under pressure a little bit even though it’s 20-over cricket,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar.

“You have to be at high intensity and just to get him up to pace before the ODIs start. I mean, he has got obvious quality. So if he was fit, he was always going to be part of the discussion. We are hoping that he comes through these games. By the time the Champions Trophy comes around, he is at 100 per cent,” he added.