Champions Trophy 2025: India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s possible absence makes Ricky Ponting and Ravi Shastri believe that the team’s bowling attack could weaken in the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, commencing on February 19 (Wednesday).
The 31-year-old, who suffered back spasms in the fifth test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 against Australia at Sydney in the previous month, didn’t bowl a single over in the second innings of that match. Also, he hasn’t been a part of India’s playing XI since then although being named for the prestigious ICC’s 50-over tournament.
With less than ten days remaining for the tournament’s ninth season to commence, Bumrah was excluded from India’s squad for the ongoing 3-match ODI series against England as he is going through rehab sessions at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
The right-arm pace bowler was at the peak form of his career in the last year. He won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy honored for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year as well as bagged the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2024 award. Moreover, he played a pivotal role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph in the previous year.
Ravi Shastri’s Safety Advice to Bumrah: Not to Play Too Soon After Recovering From Injury
Pointing out the long-term risks that lie ahead, Ravi Shastri strongly warned Bumrah not to rush back into action after recovering from injury:
“No! I caution about it as a high-risk move. You need to understand that India has several important cricket matches coming up. As a crucial player, it wouldn’t be appropriate to rush Bumrah into the game all of a sudden.
Most of us would expect him to bowl straight away and set the stage on fire. But, it would be completely wrong to expect him to perform well at this stage. This is because he would be under huge pressure and returning from an injury is not that easy as it is always challenging,” Shastri said to Sanjana Ganesan on the ICC Review.
Bumrah’s Absence to Leave a Huge Void for India to Fill: Ravi Shastri’s Opinion
Furthermore, Ravi Shastri points out how India’s chances of winning the Champions Trophy are reduced due to Bumrah’s potential absence from the squad:
“See! If Jasprit Bumrah isn’t 100% fit, then it is understood that India’s chances to win the trophy are reduced by 30%, actually by 30% to 35%.
A perfectly fit Bumrah can guarantee to make noteworthy contributions in the death overs. Then, it could have been a special scenario with him in the team,” the former Indian head coach added.
In addition, the 62-year-old shared few more facts that Shami’s fitness would be under scrutiny during the 3-match ODI series against England:
“Yeah! It would be intriguing to watch if he plays for India in all three matches, or if the team management decides to relieve the workload by giving him a chance in the first and third matches. However, his fitness would be closely observed. The main reason is that a bowler’s performance varies when bowling 10 overs in ODIs compared to just 4 overs in a T20 format,” Shastri explained.
Shami featured in the third and fifth T20I matches against England. The right-arm pacer wasn’t at his best in Rajkot as he concluded wicketless in his 3-over spell by conceding 25 runs. It was indeed his first outing since the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia in Ahmedabad.
However, the 34-year-old returned to his red-hot form in his recent matches with exceptional bowling figures of 3-25 in 2.5 overs in the last T20I clash in Mumbai. Also, he delivered a supportive performance of 1-38 in 8 overs of the recently concluded first ODI in Nagpur.
Ricky Ponting’s Concern Regarding Bumrah’s Fitness
Australian former captain Ricky Ponting voiced his regret over Bumrah’s physical state. The 50-year-old indicated that his absence would not only transfer the focus but also the pressure on Mohammed Shami, who made his comeback into the Indian squad after the 14-month gap:
“Look! One of my biggest concerns about Team India, when they toured Australia for the test series, was Bumrah not having Shami as a backup pacer in the squad. This caused him to carry out a majority of the team’s burden load. And that’s what exactly happened throughout the series. With Shami not being in the squad, Bumrah had to bowl a few more overs in that series. So, if he (Shami) is fit, that is a piece of good news,” Ponting said during the latest edition of the ICC Review.
From the above statement, Ponting tries to convey that Bumrah’s back injury was due to a lack of support from other bowlers as well as Shami’s absence during the 5-match test series in Australia.
Despite the lack of support from other bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah was the leading wicket-taker in the BGT 2024-25, claiming 32 wickets in 5 matches.
Final Opinion:
India commence their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh in the Group A fixtures on February 20 in Dubai. Even though Bumrah’s name is included in the 15-member squad, his participation in the ICC’s high-profile tournament depends on the scan results and evaluations conducted at the NCA this week.
