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Former cricketer Ravi Shastri opened up on talisman India pacer Jasprit Bumrah's comeback from injury during the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 and said that the expectations will be high.
In the last innings of the fifth Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia at Sydney, the speedster didn't bowl a single ball as he went for scans and was advised by the Australian doctors not to participate in the remainder of the Sydney Test. Following the advice from the medical experts, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided the Indian spearhead should rest for at least five weeks (the Sydney Test finished on January 5) after which he will undergo another scan. Speaking on The ICC Review, Shastri said that Bumrah is too precious to be just called on for one game. He added that it's not easy for a cricketer to make a solid comeback from injury. "I think it's high risk. There's too much big cricket coming up for India. And at this stage of his [Bumrah's] 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 high. 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 was quoted by ICC as saying. He added that if Bumrah fails to make a comeback in the upcoming Champions Trophy, then it will reduce India's chances of winning the ICC tournament by 30-35 per cent. "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 deathovers. It would've been a different ball game altogether," he added. Bumrah was the leading-wicket-taker in international cricket last year, with 86 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 13.76, with four four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls and best figures of 6/45. Particularly in Tests, the Indian pace spearhead enjoyed one of the greatest calendar years by a bowler, with 71 scalps in 13 matches at an average of 14.92, with five five-wicket hauls and best figures of 6/45, delivering fantastic spells home and away alike. The eight-team tournament will feature 15 matches and will be played across Pakistan and Dubai. The ICC Champions Trophy from February 19 to March 9 will be hosted by Pakistan and UAE, with India playing its matches in Dubai under a hybrid model. The biggest match of the ICC tournament between two arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be played on February 23. India will start its campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. India's last league match will be against New Zealand on March 2. India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, India will square off against England in three ODI series beginning in Nagpur on Thursday. The 50-over action will then move to Cuttack on Sunday and the series will conclude on February 12 in Ahmedabad. (ANI)
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