India’s preparations for the upcoming Champions Trophy have been shaken by the loss of Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. To replace him in the 15-member squad, Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut earlier this month against England, has been called up. This change leaves India’s pace attack relatively inexperienced for such a high-profile competition. Arshdeep Singh, with only nine ODIs to his name, and Mohammed Shami, who returned to the team last month after over a year away due to injury, will now play key roles alongside Rana.
David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, the former England cricketer-turned-commentator, has expressed concerns over India’s bowling depth in Bumrah’s absence. He also raised doubts about Arshdeep’s ability to lead the pace attack in ODIs, suggesting that the format is a far cry from T20s, where Arshdeep is a regular fixture.
“He’s going to be missed, no doubt about it,” Lloyd said in an interview with TalkSPORT.
“You can’t overlook the reality that the world’s top bowler is missing from the squad. That’s a major setback.”
Bumrah’s absence is a major blow, especially after his outstanding performance in India’s T20 World Cup victory last year, where he picked up 15 wickets in 8 matches at an impressive economy rate of 4.17. However, Bumrah has been sidelined since suffering back spasms during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney last month, which ultimately led to his exclusion from the crucial second innings of the game.
Lloyd also suggested that opponents might look to exploit Arshdeep’s inexperience: “If you’re facing him, you’d want to test him, really put him under pressure.”
“This is not T20 cricket. It’s not a short burst of action. In ODIs, you need to come back and perform again and again, which is something Arshdeep hasn’t had to deal with as much.”
Despite these concerns, Arshdeep has shown promise in ODIs, with 14 wickets in nine matches. His recent performance against England in the final match of the series was particularly encouraging, as he took 2/33 in five overs, dismissing both English openers, Ben Duckett and Phil Salt, to help India successfully defend a challenging 357-run target in Ahmedabad.
The Champions Trophy kicks off on February 19, with India set to face Bangladesh in their opening match in Dubai.