Follow UsWith ICC Champions Trophy 2025 around the corner, India are yet to announce their squad for the tournament, leading to concerns over Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness. While Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are the front-runners, does India have another option experienced enough to replace Bumrah’s absence?
Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth has come up with the perfect solution for the Indian team, suggesting the 34-year-old Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the replacement for Bumrah. Bhuvneshwar last played an ODI 2022 against South Africa and hasn’t played List-A cricket in two years.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be in India’s ODI squad for the Champions Trophy, he’s very experienced,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“If you can get someone like Karun Nair, then why not Bhuvi? He’s been playing domestic cricket as well and is bowling brilliantly. He’s also a brilliant player if you see that T20 World Cup 2022, except for the semi-final, he was quite good. You can bring him into the setup.”
Srikkanth also opined that India are as good as gone if Bumrah fails to be fit in time for the Champions Trophy, an ICC title they haven’t won since 2014.
“It is bad news for Jasprit Bumrah himself, he has lifted the team on his own. He might miss the Champions Trophy, not sure if he will play IPL. Frankly speaking, I think he will take an intelligent call on his fitness. If Bumrah isn’t there, we are as good as gone. Bumrah was one of the main bowlers, if he isn’t there, we can’t do anything,” he said.
“India will find it very difficult if Bumrah isn’t fit. I don’t know whether they delayed the announcement because of Bumrah’s fitness,” he added.
Adding more to his previous stance on Siraj, Srikkanth revealed that the 30-year-old is very lucky to even be in the setup, and no one in the history of the game has been given as many chances to succeed.
“No one has been given as many chances as Mohammed Siraj in the history of the game. He’s a leaker, he’s been lucky to be in the team because of everything that has happened around him. That’s all.”
Srikkanth didn’t stop there. He also hit out at the former Indian vice-captain, Shubman Gill, insisting that he isn’t that great a player to be India’s vice-captain.
“Shubman Gill, I have always been saying, he is not that great a player to make him vice-captain. He wasn’t in the T20 World Cup squad either, I think they are looking at options; they made a mistake appointing him as vice-captain.”