"Jasprit Bumrah is the best IPL bowler Indian team produced" - Fans react as India leave out star pacer from first 2 Tests against Australia

Team India have not picked star pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the first two Tests against Australia, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy scheduled to commence on February 9 in Nagpur.

Bumrah, who has been struggling with a stress reaction since last year, missed the Asia Cup 2022 and the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. He was set to return to action during the home ODI series against Sri Lanka but was eventually ruled out of the rubber.

Bumrah cleared the fitness test in December and was named in India's ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series. However, he felt slight discomfort post-recovery training in Mumbai which resulted in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical staff advising him to take complete rest.

The injury will also keep him out of the entire white-ball series against New Zealand. While he will also miss the first two Tests against Australia, it is still not known whether he will feature in the final two fixtures.

Fans were extremely disappointed not to see Bumrah in the squad and took jibes at him. Many reckoned that he would be fit in time to turn up for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Here are some of the reactions:

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"It's time to start preparing for life without Bumrah" - Aakash Chopra

Former batter Aakash Chopra sounded worried after Jasprit Bumrah was recently withdrawn from India's ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series. He feels it's probably time for the team to start preparing for life without the ace pacer.

"I am slightly worried because he has not played cricket since September," Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel. "Maybe it's time to start preparing for life without Bumrah. He played an odd match in between where he got injured and didn't come back. He then comes and goes back again.

"His name comes in the team and then he is not there. He was a late inclusion here and was out again. It's not a good story because it is a World Cup year and you have already missed the last World Cup."

Bumrah was last seen in action in the third T20I against Australia in Hyderabad on September 22.

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