ICC CWC'19: Navdeep Saini called-up as net bowler for team India

Manchester: Navdeep Saini on Monday arrived in Manchester as a net bowler to provide practice to Indian batsmen ahead of the World Cup match against the West Indies, scheduled for June 27.

The right-arm fast bowler, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2019 IPL, is the only net bowler with the Men in Blue and he will train with them, the BCCI said.

Deepak Chahar and Avesh Khan, the reserve bowlers, returned to India in the first week of June, while Khaleel Ahmed remained with the team. However, now with the departure of Khaleel, the Indian team has no net bowler.

The call-up of Navdeep can probably lead to him being the stand-by of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who suffered tightness in his left hamstring and walked off the field during the clash with Pakistan and subsequently missed the match against Afghanistan.

There is no confirmation from BCCI, however, if Bhuvneshwar fails to come for the net session tomorrow or there is an issue with his recovery then the management may take a call. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are the two seam options for India.

India sit at the third place in the World Cup standings with nine points from five matches. The team won four games with one getting washed out.