IND vs ENG: 'Why Pick Players Who Are Not 100% Fit?' - India Sweating Over Virat Kohli & Jasprit Bumrah

It is good the Indian cricket team does not pick players who are less than a 100 per cent fit before any international match. Virat Kohli out with a knee niggle meant Shreyas Iyer barged into the 11 and slammed a half ton worth its weight in gold against England on Thursday (February 6) in Nagpur.

At the same time, it is good skipper Rohit Sharma had conveyed that Kohli is unfit. On Friday (February 7), vice-captain Shubman Gill said that Kohli is fit again and will play the second ODI on Sunday (February 9).

For those who follow a bit of medical jargon, how Kohli got fine in a day is a mystery. The legend is known for his supreme fitness and how much effort he puts in at training. Kohli is the epitome as a role model in terms of fitness. A photo of his went viral on social media two days ago, where the stomach abs looked six pack.

What fans want to see from Kohli is abs plus runs. That has dried up. If it is Test cricket, his outside the off-stump dismissal has become the butt of ridicule. Be that as it may, Kohli trolls are a pathetic lot. They stink, they are agenda-driven and are ignorant of what it means to become a superstar.

Kohli is blamed as he has a PR machinery at work. Which star athlete does not have a PR agency, even Nitish Reddy has a 'system' which works for him! We live in an age where PR and social media is more important than media.

So, if Kohli is trolled, there is another army out there which backs him as well. What is important and relevant, Kohli scores runs in the second and third ODIs in India and get back his lost form before the Champions Trophy.

For those who think Kohli can be dropped, that will be brave. Do it, if you have the conviction but apply the same rule for all cricketers out of form. Drop Rohit Sharma as well, if you can. After all, when he 'missed' the final Test in the BGT Series Down Under, there was intrigue if he was dropped or opted out.

Rohit himself opted out, as he later told the media, which put to rest all rumours of coach Gautam Gambhir having asked him to sit out. Make no mistake, Gambhir still does not have so much clout he can drop Rohit or Kohli.

More interesting, what will happen to one man who makes news even in absentia. No guesses, Jasprit Bumrah's MRI scan reports will be revealed soon in Bengaluru. They will be shared with his ortho surgeon in New Zealand. The lack of awareness is galling.

A clear MRI does not mean BOOM can bowl 10 overs in the Champions Trophy in Dubai. How his rehab is planned and what will be the workload management needs to be charted out. If the BCCI wants to take Bumrah as a mascot to Dubai and be present with the team, nobody will mind it. His sheer presence and smile will make batters shiver even if he does not bowl.

One man who knows Bumrah's back injury is serious and has said he should not be rushed back is Ravi Shastri. Shaz knows Bumrah well and what he has undergone as trauma. So, when Shastri spoke on an ICC show not to rush back Bumrah, it was a clear message to all, wife Sanjana Ganesan included. She has also been using her X handle to tease and torment BOOM followers. And why not?

PS: Indian cricket needs to play only a 100 per cent fit guys.