Jasprit Bumrah’s absence from the T20 World Cup in Australia could prove to be costly for Team India but captain Rohit Sharma thinks saving his career was far more important.

The fast bowler is out of the tournament with a back injury which has potentially ruled him out of action for at least six weeks. Mohammed Shami, who has recovered from a bout of Covid-19 and has been passed fit by the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, has replaced him in the 15-member squad.

“We spoke to a lot of the specialists about his injuries, but we did not get a decent response,” Rohit said during the captains’ media interaction in Melbourne on Saturday. “This World Cup is important, but his career is more important. He is only 27-28, there is a lot of cricket in front of him.

“So, we can’t take such a risk. All the specialists we spoke to were of the same opinion. There is a lot of cricket ahead of him, he will play a lot more and help India win matches. There is no doubt that he will be missed.”

Shami is set for his first training session in Brisbane on Sunday along with the rest of the squad members. The contingent wrapped up their week-long camp in Perth, where they also played two practice games against a Western Australia XI.

Rohit believes “everything is looking good” as far as the fast bowler is concerned. “Shami was down with Covid19 two-three weeks back, he was at home, in his farm,” Rohit said. “He was then called over to the National Cricket Academy, he went there and worked quite hard over the last 10 days. His recovery after Covid was very good. He had three to four bowling sessions. All in all, everything is good as far as Shami is concerned.”

The team will play two warm-up matches, against Australia and New Zealand on October 17 and 19, respectively, in Brisbane.