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India will be without their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah during the 2025 Champions Trophy but Gautam Gambhir sees it as a chance of others to step up.
Gautam Gambhir (left) backs Mohammed Shami (right) to deliver for India. (PTI Photo)
India were handed a major blow earlier this week when their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was deemed unfit to be part of their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign. Given the leading role Bumrah has been consistently playing with the ball for the team across formats, his absence will definitely be felt but head coach Gautam Gambhir sees it as an opportunity for others to shine.
“If he’s (Bumrah) injured, he’s injured, whether it’s me, whether it’s the captain, we can’t do much about it,” Gambhir told reporters on Wednesday after India completed a 3-0 ODI series win over England in Ahmedabad.
“Obviously, we know that he’s an important factor. But as I mentioned, people like Harshit (Rana), Arshdeep (Singh), Mohammed Shami, all these guys will put their hand up. It’s a great opportunity for them to try and deliver for the country,” he added.
India will now rely on the experience of Mohammed Shami who recently made his international comeback after a long injury-forced layoff.
“Look, it’s always good to have a world-class bowler back. With his experience, with his quality, we all know what he can do with the ball in his hand,” Gambhir said of Shami.
The Indian team management though has been cautious with Shami’s workload with the pacer not playing in every game. He played in two of the five T20Is against England and the first two ODIs of the three-match series that followed.
“Obviously, we were trying to manage his (Shami) workload. That’s the reason why we played him two T20s and two one-dayers. Hopefully, he’s going to be fresh and ready to go in the Champions Trophy,” Gambhir said.
Shami was the 2023 ODI World Cup’s leading wicket-taker and played a key role in India’s dominant run to the final.
India start their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.
- Location :
Ahmadabad, India, India
