The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is just a couple of weeks away and India’s concern regarding premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah doesn’t seem to alleviate. Bumrah’s participation in the mega ICC event has been uncertain since he sustained a back injury during the India vs Australia Test series. Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri raised concerns for the Men in Blue, warning of potential challenges if Bumrah is unavailable for the Champions Trophy.
Bumrah, who was awarded the ICC 2024 Men’s Cricketer of the Year, last played in the fifth and final Test of the IND vs AUS Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He could only bowl in the first innings and remained sidelined in the second innings, reducing India’s chances of winning the match significantly. India eventually lost the match by 6 wickets.
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Bumrah Too Precious For Just One Game: Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri warned that rushing Bumrah back for a single game is a high risk, given India’s packed schedule.
“I think it’s high risk. There’s too much big cricket coming up for India. 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,” Shastri told Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.
‘India’s Chances Of Winning Champions Trophy 2025 Drop By 30-35%’
Ravi Shastri believes that if Bumrah is unavailable, India’s chances of winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 could drop by nearly 30-35%.
“Bumrah not fit will reduce India’s chances of winning the Champions Trophy by 30%, literally by 30-35%. With a fully fit Bumrah playing, you are guaranteed those death overs. It would’ve been a different ball game altogether.”
Shastri also highlighted that Mohammed Shami’s fitness and endurance will be closely monitored in the upcoming ODIs against England. He suggested India might manage his workload by rotating him and emphasised that bowling 10 overs is a different challenge from T20s, with his recovery in the field also being a key factor.
“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. 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,” Shastri said.
