India have been forced into a major change for the third and final ODI against England at Lord’s, with premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah missing the series decider. The absence of India’s pace spearhead came as a surprise to many fans and captain Shubman Gill revealed the reason behind Bumrah’s absence. His withdrawal is one of three changes made by India as they look to clinch the ODI series in London.

Shubman Gill reveals reason behind Jasprit Bumrah’s absence

Speaking at the toss, Gill revealed that Bumrah was unavailable for selection because of a knee issue. The Indian skipper did not provide further details about the severity of the injury or how long Bumrah is expected to remain on the sidelines. The team management is likely to monitor his condition closely, considering India’s packed international schedule ahead.

“Boom misses out, he’s unavailable due to some knee injury,” Gill said while announcing India’s playing XI.

Bumrah’s absence is undoubtedly a significant blow, given his ability to strike with the new ball and deliver crucial breakthroughs in the death overs. His experience has often made the difference in high-pressure encounters, especially in overseas conditions.

India make three changes for the series decider

Apart from Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube also missed out on the playing XI. In their place, KL Rahul, Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh were drafted into the side. Gill explained that the decision to bring back Arshdeep was based on the conditions at Lord’s rather than statistical records.

“We’re not the one who relies on stats so much. We think he’s a great bowler, and we were looking for four seamers on this ground. We have seen in the middle overs, spinners don’t really offer much as compared to the fast bowlers,” the India captain said.

The move reflects India’s intention to make the most of the pace-friendly conditions at the iconic venue by fielding a four-pronged seam attack.

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India aim to finish the series on a high

Reflecting on the defeat in the second ODI, Gill admitted that India let the game slip after being in a commanding position. He also pointed out that batting has not been easy in the series, adding that scoring freely has been difficult over the past two matches.

“I think we were in a great position up until the 25 overs of the match, and then we lost too many wickets in the middle overs, end of the middle overs. So hopefully, if you’re in that kind of position, we post a good total close to 280-300,” Gill added.

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