Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey
Former India all-rounder and coach Ravi Shastri has warned against risking Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming Champions Trophy. Bumrah suffered back spasms during the final Test of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he bore the brunt of the workload.
Bumrah took 32 wickets at 13.06 in one of the great performances by any touring bowler in Australia. However, he sent 151.2 overs down as India turned to him time and again to keep them in the contest. The sheer volume saw him break down at Sydney, where he did not bowl in the second innings.
It’s high risk playing Jasprit Bumrah in the Champions Trophy – Ravi Shastri
Shastri believes it would be unfair to call on Bumrah to deliver straight away. Although he’s been named in India’s preliminary Champions Trophy squad, the fast bowler will not feature in the three-match ODI series against England starting February 6.
“I think it’s high risk. There’s too much big cricket coming up for India,” said Shastri to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.
“And at this stage of his career, I think he’s too precious to be just called on for one game out of the blue and asked to deliver.
“The expectations will be so much. They’ll think that he’ll come in straight away and set the world on fire. It’s never that easy when you come back from injury.”
However, Shastri admitted India’s chances of winning the trophy would take a huge hit if Bumrah is out. The star bowler is a matchwinner at all stages of the innings, especially at the death.
“Bumrah not fit will reduce India’s chances [of winning the Champions Trophy] by 30%, literally by 30-35%,” Shastri said.
“With a fully fit Bumrah playing, you are guaranteed of those death overs. It would’ve been a different ball game altogether.”
Fitness of Mohammed Shami key for India
Mohammed Shami, who missed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to injury, returned to action for India in the recent T20I series against England. He has been named in India’s ODI squad against the same opponent, and Shastri believes India will need to keep a close eye on how he pulls up after bowling more overs.
“It will be interesting to see if India play him out in all three, or they give him the first one and the third one, and then ease him into the Champions Trophy,” Shastri said.
“But he’ll be watched very closely because 10 overs is totally different to four overs, and then you’re going to see how he pulls up in the field as well having bowled those 10 overs.”
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting echoed the thoughts around Shami’s importance. Also, Ponting believes Shami’s absence down under put almost all of the responsibility on Bumrah to deliver.
“My biggest concern about India when they came for Australia in the Test series was Bumrah not having Shami there as a backup and him having to burden most of the load,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.
“And that’s probably what happened, and might even have something to do with why he [Bumrah] got hurt. He probably ended up having to bowl a bit more in that series with Shami not being there.
“If Shami’s fit, that’s a positive.”
India play three ODIs against England at Nagpur, Cuttack and Ahmedabad before their first match of the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
