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India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah has copped a lot of flak recently for playing 3 Tests out of 5 against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy. However, former BCCI chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma, who was a pacer himself, backed Bumrah saying that a player should go by what the physios say.
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“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 are 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 also said that India’s performance against England has given him the confidence that the team can also win the upcoming Asia Cup.
“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,” he said.
“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,” added Sharma after the event.
Thoughts on Asia Cup squad
With the Asia Cup set to begin on September 9, there is a lot of chatter on if Test skipper Shubman Gill should be included in the side. Weighing in on that debate, 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 said.
(With agency inputs)
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