'Shami, Bhuvi can take pressure off Bumrah': Raju Kulkarni

Ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah, 32, is the only Indian bowler who has 100-plus scalps in each of the three formats so far —234 in Tests, 151 in ODIs, and 121 T20Is. michezonews.co.za

However, injury concerns due to his unique bowling action and workload management see him missing from the India line-up more often than not, and this often has an adverse effect on the team’s bowling department. Former India and Mumbai pacers Karsan Ghavri and Raju Kulkarni believe Team India should stop relying only on Bumrah hereon.

“Bumrah should take a break for five-six months or even a year, and get back to 100 per cent fitness. The issue is that he goes into tournaments even if he’s half-fit and then, due to workload management, halfway through, there’s a breakdown. This is unnecessary. Only if he can manage his workload throughout a tournament, should he be included in the team,” Ghavri told mid-day on Tuesday.

Karsan Ghavri and Raju Kulkarni

Ghavri, 75, who played 39 Tests and 19 ODIs for India from 1974 to 1981, felt in-form pacers like Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be brought in. Shami, 35, claimed 37 wickets for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy last season, while Bhuvneshwar, 36, played a crucial role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 2026 IPL triumph, taking 28 wickets. “Shami and Bhuvi have been playing consistently in the IPL without injuries and should return to the national set-up.

Selectors should consider them,” Ghavri said, adding that Bumrah’s injuries are not a good sign. “All fast bowlers face niggles or injuries, but Bumrah has been on and off for the last two-three years. He has hardly played an entire series. That’s not a good sign for him or for the country,” added Ghavri.

Meanwhile, Kulkarni, who played three Tests and 10 ODIs between 1983 and 1987, and currently is the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Cricket Improvement Committee chief, felt Bumrah lacks a bit in the technical aspect. “Bumrah’s our golden boy. He’s India’s best ever fast bowler. But I think he’s not a technically sound bowler which is why he’s so injury prone. Bowlers like Richard Hadlee or Kapil Dev were technically sound and that’s why they kept on going,” Kulkarni told mid-day over the phone from London on Tuesday.

Kulkarni, 63, insisted that Bumrah should pick just one format. “I don’t think Bumrah can sustain playing all formats. The team management must consider playing him only in Tests as that’s a critical format. Though he may want to play IPL, T20I and ODIs too, it’s not viable. For this reason, it will be great if Mohammed Siraj can get the support of senior pacers like Shami and Bhuvi. Bhuvi should be used in T20Is because he’s done brilliantly in the IPL. And you can rotate Shami and Siraj in Tests. This will reduce the pressure on Bumrah.”

13
No. of wickets claimed by Mohammed Shami in his last four Tests, all vs Australia in 2023

3
No. of Tests Jasprit Bumrah has missed since July last year; he has played six out of nine games

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], August 5 (ANI): Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi returned to Ahmedabad late on Tuesday night after attending the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he officially accepted the Commonwealth Games flag and baton on behalf of the future host city, Ahmedabad, for the 2030 edition.

Speaking to the media upon his arrival, Sanghavi said India would look to build on its recent sporting progress and aim for the top spot when Ahmedabad hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2030.

He said, “PM Modi increased the budget for sports by eight times to ensure that our athletes do well. The Commonwealth Games will be organised in Ahmedabad in 2030, and I congratulate all the players on this occasion. We will take forward PM Modi’s ‘Fit India’ vision. The Gujarat government, under the guidance of the Government of India, is working to ensure that the maximum number of athletes get opportunities in the sports sector."

He added, “The way athletes have been given a platform, given international-level training through the TOPS scheme, and due to their hard work, India ranked at number four in the medal tally at CWG. Fit India is not just a slogan but a way of life for the PM. CWG 2030 is a big opportunity, and our attempt will be to rank number one in the Games. Ahmedabad will set a new benchmark in organising the Commonwealth Games 2030."

Sanghavi was part of the official Indian delegation at the Glasgow Games and stood alongside Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha and Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra during the closing ceremony on August 2 to receive the Commonwealth Games flag, formally marking the handover of hosting responsibilities to Ahmedabad for the centenary edition of the Games in 2030.

During his visit to Scotland, the Deputy Chief Minister also led a Gujarat government delegation under the Future Host Observer Programme to study Glasgow’s delivery of the multi-sport event, including venue operations, logistics and city planning, to incorporate best practices into Ahmedabad’s preparations.

As part of the promotional campaign for the 2030 Games, Sanghavi also launched the Ahmedabad Experience Centre and hosted an India Day event, showcasing Gujarat’s sporting infrastructure and inviting representatives from the 74 participating Commonwealth nations to Ahmedabad.

He also interacted with members of the Indian contingent during the Games and presented medals to several athletes, including members of the Indian boxing team, while congratulating them on their performances.

India concluded the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in fourth place on the overall medal standings with 39 medals, including 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze, matching its fourth-place finish from Birmingham 2022 despite competing in a significantly reduced sports programme. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): West Delhi Lions registered a convincing five-wicket victory over South Delhi Superstarz in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Tuesday night.

The Lions produced an excellent all-round performance, first bowling South Delhi Superstarz out for 160 in 19.5 overs before comfortably chasing down the target, according to a press release from DPL.

South Delhi Superstarz never managed to build any significant partnerships as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The batting line-up struggled to find momentum, with the Lions’ bowlers maintaining tight lines throughout the innings.

A late counterattack from Vision Panchal gave the Superstarz something to fight for. He played a quick cameo of 24 off just 12 balls, helping his side reach the 160-run mark.

Mayank Gusain was the standout performer with the ball, producing a sensational spell of 3/13 in his four overs. Nitish Rana also made an impact with figures of 1/30, while experienced pacer Kulwant Khejroliya chipped in with two wickets for 31 runs in his four-over spell.

Chasing 161, West Delhi Lions also had a shaky start, slipping to 26/2 inside the powerplay. However, Nitish Rana and Krish Yadav steadied the innings with a valuable 58-run partnership for the third wicket.

Rana led from the front with a composed 32 off 25 balls before being dismissed. Although the Lions lost a few more wickets in the middle overs, they remained in control of the chase.

Ayush Doseja then played a crucial innings under pressure, scoring a well-made 44 off 27 deliveries to keep the scoreboard moving. He received good support from Mayank Gusain, who capped off a memorable all-round performance by remaining unbeaten on 19 off just 10 balls.

Gusain guided West Delhi Lions home with ease, completing the chase with five wickets in hand. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): India has included Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian and Vipraj Nigam among their net bowlers ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle from August 15 onwards.

As per the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian batters, who have had their share of struggles against spin at home, have ramped up their preparation against the tweakers in spin-friendly Sri Lankan conditions by adding four spinners to their net bowlers line-up.

“Update: Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian and Vipraj Nigam have joined the Indian squad as net bowlers to assist the team in the build-up to the first Test against Sri Lanka," said BCCI’s statement.

Harsh, a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, had made his Indian debut during the ODI series against Afghanistan, taking four wickets in two matches. He had made his way into the Indian side after promising performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), taking eight wickets in eight matches at an average of 28.50 and a solid domestic season before that for Vidarbha.

24-year-old Shivang, a left-arm wrist spinner, had also been a regular for SRH in the IPL this year, taking nine wickets in 13 matches at an average of 41.66 and, like Harsh, is a very handy lower-order batter. Recently, he has shown solid performances in the MP T20 League, scoring 194 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 176.36 with a half-century and taking seven wickets.

Tanush, 27, a right-arm off-break bowler, is a proven performer for Mumbai in the domestic circuit, with 131 wickets in 44 first-class matches at an average of 27.48, with eight four-fers and three five-wicket hauls to his name. He has also made 2,168 runs in 65 innings with two centuries and 17 fifties at an average of 42.50.

Lastly, Vipraj Nigam, a right-arm leg-break bowler, has been a part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) camp in the IPL for past two seasons, with 13 wickets in 19 matches and is also a handy batsman down the order.

In the tri-nation series against Sri Lanka in the 50-over format after the IPL, Vipraj delivered promising performances with seven wickets in five innings, with an economy rate of 5.38 and scored 116 runs in four matches, with a half-century to his name.

The two-match Test series will get underway with the opening game at the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15 to 19, before the teams move to Colombo for the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club from August 23 to 27.

India’s ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the series as he has not fully recovered from the left knee injury he sustained during the ODI series against England.

The Men’s Selection Committee has included Aquib Nabi in the squad as Bumrah’s replacement.

India are also grappling with multiple injury concerns ahead of the series, with Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy sidelined due to hamstring and quadriceps injuries, respectively.

Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the opening Test with a hamstring issue, while Akash Deep remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from stress reactions in his back.

The series will form part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Led by Shubman Gill, India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches, with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150.

India’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka is: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi.

*Subject to fitness clearance. (ANI)

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