Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes India will deeply miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming Champions Trophy. Manjrekar reckons Rohit Sharma’s team will miss Bumrah’s services the most in crunch situations of the big games.

Bumrah has been India’s trump card in the last few years in all three formats of the game and his absence is a big blow for the team. The gun fast bowler was named in the provisional squad for the Champions Trophy but he failed to recover from a lower back injury, which he suffered in the Sydney Test against Australia.

Bumrah had scalped 32 wickets in five Test matches at an astonishing average of 13.06 against Australia but could not bowl in the second innings in the Sydney Test.

Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo, “Bumrah’s absence is not an event. It’s not like suddenly India have realized that they will be without Bumrah. Somewhere, they were all aware that it’s going to be touch and go and India made preparations accordingly. Harshit Rana’s emergence and Arshdeep, who had a great T20 series; Mohammed Shami slowly getting fit [are good signs for India].

“When Bumrah comes in, the crunch moments in the big games are taken care of. He just makes sure that India are back in the game in the crunch moments. That ability very few bowlers have. And that is what India will miss.

“India will not suddenly look like a weak side, but these big moments in matches where Bumrah would get India back in a winning position, the other bowlers will find it very hard to replicate,” the 59-year-old added.

In the T20 World Cup final against South Africa, Bumrah had bowled two economical death overs and had also accounted for Marco Jansen. The ace pacer bagged 15 wickets in eight matches at an average of 8.27 in the T20I showpiece.

India will kick off their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on February 20.