Former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan believes India will miss the accuracy and calmness of Jasprit Bumrah in the Champions Trophy. Bumrah has been ruled out of the eight-team tournament due to a lower-back injury, which he suffered in the fifth Test match against Australia at Sydney.
Bumrah was picked in India’s provisional squad for the Champions Trophy but was later replaced by greenhorn pacer Harshit Rana as he could not recover from his injury. The youngster from Delhi made his ODI debut against England at Nagpur and picked up three wickets. Rana scalped a total of six wickets in three ODIs against the visitors.
Meanwhile, there is no doubt that India will have their work cut to fill in the big shoes of Bumrah, who has been performing consistently in all three formats of the game.
“I am quite confident about India—they have a solid team and played very well against England in their recent ODI series. But my concern is that they are going to miss Jasprit Bumrah. There’s no doubt he will be a huge loss, and they will feel it very strongly,” Shikhar Dhawan said on ICC.
“For me, he is the best bowler in the world, and his accuracy is hard to replicate. He is also a very calm character, which is crucial in a big ICC event like this,” he stated.
On the other hand, Dhawan backed Harshit Rana to shine in the Champions Trophy. Rana has impressed in his young career so far and he would look to grab his chance with both hands.
“Harshit Rana’s inclusion is exciting — keep an eye on him, he could have a breakout tournament. I like his attitude; he’s a go-getter who isn’t afraid of challenges. We saw in the England series that he is in good form. If he seizes this opportunity, he could provide a real x-factor for India,” Dhawan noted.
The former Indian opener said India has a potent batting line-up as they have batters like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and in-form Shubman Gill.
“There are many reasons to be optimistic about India. They have a well-balanced batting lineup with a mix of experience and youth. Shubman Gill, in particular, is so consistent, and I believe he will have a great tournament,” Dhawan said.
“Rohit Sharma has regained form, Virat Kohli is there — it’s a top side that will be tough to stop. India performed well in the last Champions Trophy but fell short in the final. However, they played some amazing cricket, and the squad knows what they are capable of,” he added.
India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
