'Bumrah, Siraj & Shami Been Around, But Need Depth': Agarkar Reveals Talks to Increase India's Fast-Bowling Options to Begin

Ahead of India’s tour to Sri Lanka, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar has revealed that discussions will begin regarding introducing some new faces to the Indian bowling attack to increase their depth.

Agarkar, when addressing the media in a press conference before the tour had revealed that he expects the pacers that are out currently to make a return sometime next month.

“There are a few injuries at the moment. Some of the fast bowlers are out, and we hope they’ll be back playing within the next month,” he said.

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He also talked about their veteran pacer, Mohammed Shami who on his official Instagram handle had revealed that he has started to bowl. Agarkar suggested that the plan for the moment is to get him back to full fitness ahead of the Bangladesh Test series in September 2024.

“Shami has started to bowl, which is a good sign. The goal is to have him fit by the first Test on September 19th. We need to confirm the timeline with the NCA,” Agarkar commented.

The BCCI Chief Selector also highlighted that the Indian team might not be playing all three of their pacers but emphasised the need for more depth in the Indian pace unit.

“With so many Tests coming up in India, we may not always play three seamers in the eleven, but we need depth in our squad. Bumrah, Siraj, and Shami have been around for a while, but we need to build depth and explore other options,” he added.

Agarkar concluded by stating that talks would begin on building up new players after reflecting on the upcoming first-class season.

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“We have some talent and a lot of first-class cricket coming up, so we’ll have the opportunity to build and assess other players. This is a discussion we will begin now,’ he concluded.

Gautam Gambhir who was appointed as the head coach of the Indian side, will begin his stint with the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka where he will have the big guns like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back in the ODI setup.