Kolkata, Feb 14 India legend Kapil Dev has weighed in on the unfortunate injury setback to pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. While acknowledging Bumrah’s impact, he emphasised that the team must step up in his absence.
Bumrah has been ruled out of the marquee tournament due to a lower back injury sustained while leading India in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. He was India's best bowler in the series, consistently troubling Australian batters with his exceptional control and aggressive bowling. His absence is a significant blow to India, especially given his match-winning performances in the T20 World Cup 2024.
"The performance doesn't depend on one player, it depends on the team, but yes, if he is not fit it's not good news but the team is there," Kapil Dev told reporters in Kolkata in an event.
"Good luck to the Indian team. Focus on putting the best foot forward and don't think about winning or losing," he added.
India named pacer Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement. Rana recently impressed in his ODI debut series against England, claiming six wickets in three matches. He also made an impact in his T20I debut, stepping in as a concussion substitute and picking up three wickets.
In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Shami will take over as the pace attack leader with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana competing for the other fast-bowling slots. The spin department will see a tussle between Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy while spin-bowling all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja will add depth to the squad.
India's campaign in the Champions Trophy will kick off against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20, with the tournament set to be jointly hosted by Pakistan and the UAE from February 19.
India’s squad for ICC Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Non-travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required.
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