'The guys and the team are very much used to it' - Rohit Sharma opines on Jasprit Bumrah's prolonged absence from national side

India skipper Rohit Sharma provided a straightforward take on the unavailability of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the squad. Dogged by a back injury, Bumrah has remained on the sidelines for an extended period upon which he completed his surgery in New Zealand for further treatment.

Notably, the Men in Blue endured a humiliating defeat at the hands of Australia in Visakhapatnam in the second ODI of the three-match series. Following the horror show, the skipper was asked about the prolonged absence of Bumrah at the post-match press conference. Furthermore, the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, and Shardul Thakur among others, have stepped up for the side during the speedster’s absence.

“(Jasprit) Bumrah has been absent for more than eight months now, the guys and the team are very much used to it. It is very hard to fill Bumrah’s shoes. We all know that; he is a quality bowler but now that is not been available for us. Let’s not just keep thinking about that," Rohit said.

“We have to move ahead and guys have taken the responsibility pretty well (Mohammed) Siraj, (Mohammed) Shami, Shardul (Thakur), we have got Umran and Jaydev (Unadkat) as well," he added.

Notably, Bumrah last donned the Indian outfit in September 2022 and since then has remained on the sidelines due to the injury. The treatment and recovery will see the pacer out of the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) and the ICC World Test Championship final. However, it remains to be seen if the pacer makes it just in time for the 2023 ODI World Cup in October-November.

Australia drub India to level series

The dominant Aussies relished a magnificent outing thanks to a demolition job executed by pacer Mitchell Starc. Rohit Sharma and Co. were restricted to a meagre 117 runs courtesy of Starc’s impressive five-wicket haul.

In response, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head hammered the home side with commanding scores of 66* off 36 balls and 51* off 30 respectively to get to the finish line. The Aussies got on level terms 1-1 in the three-match ODI series following their comprehensive win. The series decider will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22.