Will he make it to India's squad for the Champions Trophy? If not then who will replace the mighty Jasprit Bumrah is the one question that the nation wants to know. India's premier pacer's fate will be sealed today as the NCA's team of doctors and physios are working endlessly to make Bumrah fit for the Champions Trophy. The deadline for the Champions Trophy final squad announcement is on Tuesday, February 11. If Bumrah makes it, then that will be the best news for Team India and its fans, but if he won't then the opposition teams are sure to breathe a sigh of relief. Who will replace Bumrah is the big question now.
India have options and back ups in the pace and spin departments, and have tried both those options in build up to Champions Trophy. Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy have been given in a run-in in the ongoing ODI series against England. Neither of them though have looked convincing in the longer white-ball formats though.
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Harshit Rana has played both ODI matches against England and has taken four wickets at a higher economy rate of six runs per over. On the other hand, Varun Chakravarthy has played a solitary ODI and has managed to pick up one wicket conceding 54 runs. While it looks likely that Indian management will likely zero in on these options, some dark horse candidates can pip in.
Also Read: Final Decision On Jasprit Bumrah's Champions Trophy Future On February 11 - Reports
Will Mohammed Siraj get a look in
It was an absolute shocker decision when Mohammed Siraj's name was not on the list for the ODI series against England. Siraj, a power play specialist had built a strong reputation for himself in ODIs, by taking wickets regularly. The right-arm pacer took 44 wickets in 25 ODIs in 2023, which made him the leading wicket-taker among pacers in the calendar year. However, Mohammed Shami's return after a long injury layoff shut the door on Siraj.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel clearly mentioned that they wanted a strong death bowler to partner Bumrah at the back end. The management also said if Shami is back, they are looking for bowlers who bring different options to the table. With Rana getting a look in Siraj's chances of making the squad now looks distant dream.
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Will India go in with three pacers or include five spinners
India's preliminary Champions Trophy squad included four spinners - Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja , Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. India also included only three pacers in Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Shami. But with Bumrah now almost ruled out of the Champions Trophy squad, will India include third pacer to ease some workload of Shami.
Ideally, they should as Shami is returning from a long injury lay off, and has looked a bit rusty in the two ODIs against England. Shami has failed to pick up wickets in the power play, and has so far been not at his best in death overs as well. With already a plethora of options to choose from in spin department, India must look out for pace option to support Shami and Hardik Pandya.
Also the pitches in Dubai are generally a flat pitches, and spinners might find difficult to grip the ball if they are bowling second. A hit the deck kind of bowler like Rana may find success in Dubai surface.
