Former England quick bowler Steve Harmison has drawn a hanging parallel between India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and soccer famous person Cristiano Ronaldo, emphasising the irreplaceable nature of the quick bowler. Harmison believes that if Bumrah is pressured to overlook the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy as a result of harm, it might be akin to a FIFA World Cup with out Ronaldo at his peak. Bumrah, who performed a pivotal position in India’s Take a look at sequence towards Australia, is combating a swelling on his again and is prone to miss the group stage of the Champions Trophy.
Nevertheless, Harmison insists that India ought to preserve him within the squad till the final attainable second in hopes of his return for the knockout rounds.
Talking on TalkSport Cricket, Harmison made a compelling case for India’s endurance with their premier quick bowler.
“He is Jasprit Bumrah. For me, you possibly can’t exchange Jasprit Bumrah anytime,” Harmison mentioned. “And I imply, I might even go as much as the morning of the ultimate to take him that far as a result of he is Jasprit Bumrah. He is the perfect on the earth. That will be my take from an Indian perspective.”
The previous England pacer likened Bumrah’s potential absence to a soccer World Cup with out one of many best forwards of all time.
“It is like going to a soccer World Cup with out your finest striker, Cristiano Ronaldo. Fifteen years in the past, you do not exchange Ronaldo till it’s a must to. That is what I think about India will do with Bumrah.”
Harmison even joked that India might “carry him round in a sedan chair” all through the match and hope that he’s accessible by the semi-finals or the ultimate.
“It is a 14-man squad. That is adequate to get me by the group video games. We would get him by the semifinal, greater than the semifinal. If he is not match, we’ll exchange him simply in case we have now one other harm. However he is Jasprit Bumrah.”
The Champions Trophy is about to start on February 19, that includes the world’s prime eight ODI groups. India will play all their matches in Dubai as a result of their refusal to journey to Pakistan, which prompted the ICC to approve a hybrid mannequin.
India’s group-stage marketing campaign contains matches towards Bangladesh (February 20), Pakistan (February 23), and New Zealand (March 2). If India progresses, the semi-finals will happen on March 4 and 5, with the ultimate set for March 9. Whether or not Bumrah will likely be prepared by then stays unsure.
Bumrah was in sensational kind throughout India’s latest five-match Take a look at sequence in Australia, the place he bagged 32 wickets and was named Participant of the Collection. Nevertheless, he sat out the ultimate day of the sequence in Sydney as a result of his again harm, as Australia claimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Harm woes have plagued the Indian speedster earlier than. Bumrah beforehand missed virtually a yr of worldwide cricket, from September 2022 to August 2023, as a result of a again surgical procedure. Given his recurring health issues, India will likely be cautious in dashing him again.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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