Bumrah, No.1 in the world in ODIs and No.10 in T20Is, reportedly picked up a finger injury during the first of two T20Is in Ireland. In that match, which India won by 76 runs – they won the second by 143 runs – Bumrah returned 2-19 in his two overs.

He might have sat out the second game anyway, with Virat Kohli, the India captain, promising to field the players who had missed the first game, but now it appears that the 24-year-old will be out of action for a while long.

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India play three T20Is against England, on July 3, 6 and 8, and the two teams then play a series of three ODIs, the first of which will be played on July 12. It appears that Bumrah is targeting that game to return to the field.

Bumrah’s absence will be a big one for India to deal with, as he is the team’s best bowler at the death. The other pacemen in the squad are Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Siddarth Kaul – who made his T20I and international debut in the second game against Ireland – and Deepak Chahar, the 25-year-old who has never played for India.

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Them aside, Hardik Pandya, the fast-bowling all-rounder, is also in the squad and should be in the XI.

The Indians had suffered another setback even before the series started, with Washington Sundar, the off-spin-bowling all-rounder, hurting his ankle during a game of football at training. Sundar had been ruled out of the entire tour of Ireland and England.