Revealed: Why is Jasprit Bumrah not playing today's match vs New Zealand and who has replaced him?

Team India pace bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is absent from India's playing XI for the third and final Test match against New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revealed the reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's exclusion from the Indian lineup for the last match of the series.

The Rohit Sharma-led team is currently taking on the New Zealand team at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, November 1. Tom Latham's side has won the series 2-0 after winning the first two matches. The home team wants to secure the win and finish the series on a winning note.

Jasprit Bumrah Has Not Fully Recovered - BCCI

Before the start of play, the BCCI announced that Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable for the third Test in Mumbai as he hasn’t fully recovered from a viral illness. Mohammed Siraj replaced Bumrah in the playing XI for the third Test match against New Zealand.

"Mr Jasprit Bumrah has not fully recovered from his viral illness. He was unavailable for selection for the third Test in Mumbai," BCCI's statement read.

UPDATE:

Mr Jasprit Bumrah has not fully recovered from his viral illness. He was unavailable for selection for the third Test in Mumbai.#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 1, 2024

Bumrah, who is also vice-captain of the India national cricket team, has had a challenging home Test series against New Zealand. The right arm pacer took only three wickets with a 3.09 economy rate across two matches. He was also part of the playing XI for both Tests against Bangladesh on home soil.

Team India playing XI for the third Test against New Zealand

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj

Unfortunately, Jasprit Bumrah Is Not Well - Rohit Sharma

Speaking at the toss, Rohit Sharma acknowledged India’s subpar performance throughout the series. He described the pitch as good, adding that they want to restrict New Zealand to a below-par score. Sharma also confirmed that Bumrah is absent due to illness.

"We understand and accept that we haven't played well through the series. Gives us another opportunity to try and correct those things. Looks like a good pitch. Hopefully we can restrict them as quickly as possible and then focus with the bat. Our focus is on this Test match," Rohit Sharma said.

"We want to try and play well in this Test match. In the back of your mind, you need to look at what lies ahead, but it's important to stay in present, focus on what we need to to today and worry about all those things later. It's important that we play our best cricket which we haven't in this series. Unfortunately, Bumrah is not well, Siraj comes in for him," he added.

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