India rest main bowlers for 3rd T20

NEW DELHI: Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav have been rested from the third and final Twenty20 International of India’s series against West Indies.

The decision was taken by the team management on Friday with a view to having the trio “in the best physical condition” ahead of India’s tour of Australia.

The selectors added fast bowler Siddarth Kaul to the squad for the third T20I, which will take place in Chennai on Sunday.

India have already sealed the series, having won the first two T20Is, after having won the Tests 2-0 and the ODIs 3-1.

Bumrah had been rested for the first two ODIs against West Indies too, but played in the last three games of that series. In the two T20Is, he took three wickets and conceded only 47 runs in his eight overs. Umesh played only the first T20I, taking 1 for 36 in four overs, and was part of the XI for the first two ODIs.

Kuldeep was rested for the first ODI but played in the next four, as well as both T20Is. He has had rich returns against West Indies, taking nine wickets in the ODIs at an average of 19.88 and an economy rate of 5.37. He took five wickets in the two T20Is while having an economy rate of just 5.62, including a Man-of-the-Match performance in the first game in Kolkata.

India’s squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddarth Kaul.