Former India captain and 1983 World Cup winner Kapil Dev has given his thoughts on Jasprit Bumrah’s absence from the Indian team for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Bumrah has missed out on the ICC event after he suffered swelling in his back during the Sydney Test earlier this year. He bowled just 10 overs in the match and since then has been rehabbing at the NCA in Bengaluru.
Despite the best efforts of the BCCI medical team and Bumrah himself, he failed to get match fit in time for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and was not included in the 15-member squad for the event that begins on February 19 in Pakistan and UAE.
This now means that Mohammad Shami, who himself returned from a 14-month layoff from an ankle injury, will lead the India pace attack with inexperienced Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana for company.
Talking about this issue, Kapil Dev expressed concern about the increasing frequency of injuries among Indian cricketers, criticizing the demanding schedule that keeps players on the field for roughly ten months of the year.
He stated that the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru has become more of a rehabilitation facility, with players spending more time resting than training.
"The only thing that worries me is that they play for 10 months a year -- injuries will be much more common,” Kapil said, as per ANI.
Asked whether Bumrah would be missed in the Champions Trophy, Kapil said: "Why talk about someone who is not in the team? It's a team game, and the team has to win, not individuals. This is not badminton, tennis, or golf; we are playing a team sport in the Champions Trophy. If we play as a team, we will definitely win.”
"You never want your main players to get injured, but if it happens, you can't do anything about it. Good luck to my Indian team -- go and play well," he added.
Kapil said he's excited to see so many rising talents in the Indian cricket team these days.
"When you see the youngsters, their confidence is unbelievable. We didn't have this much confidence when we were young. Good luck to them,” he said.
India will open their CT 2025 on February 20 against Bangladesh and will then clash with Pakistan on February 23. Their last group match will be against New Zealand on March 2. All matches will be played in Dubai.
(ANI inputs)
