T20 World Cup: Who fills in for Jasprit Bumrah?

The Men in Blue will be without Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming T20 World Cup, in Australia. The fast bowler suffered a back injury that has ruled him out for the next couple of months.

While it is near impossible to replace a bowler of Bumrah's calibre, India still needs to fill that one spot the 15-man list.

Mohammad Shami or Deepak Chahar set to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the T20 World Cup team. (Source - Revsportz)

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— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 3, 2022

Let us look at each candidate in a bit more detail and rate their chances of a seat on the plane.

Who should replace Jasprit Bumrah in India's T20 World Cup squad?

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The options pic.twitter.com/gkE54d79oT

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 4, 2022

1) Mohammed Siraj

Fast and furious, Siraj is part of the pace battery that has found success in away Test matches over the last couple of years. His T20 record, however, leaves a lot to be desired. Even though he's played only a handful of games, he is prone to leaking runs in the shortest formats. He was originally dropped from the Asutralia and South Africa T20 squads, but has made it to today's matchday squad in the third T20 against the latter owing to Bumrah's absence.

He is unlikely to be the first choice replacement as there are more economic options than him.

• Matches: 5
• Wickets: 5
• Economy: 10.45
• Average: 41.8
• Strike Rate: 24

2) Avesh Khan

A quick bowler who can surprise batsmen with his pace, Avesh Khan is among the reckoning for the final spot. However, he was dropped from the two recent T20 bilateral series owing to a poor show in the Asia Cup. He, too, has the bad habit of conceding runs and will be further down the pecking order to replace Bumrah.

• Matches: 15
• Wickets: 13
• Economy: 9.11
• Average: 32.46
• Strike Rate: 21.38

3) Umran Malik

Quickest in the list but also the least experienced at the international level, Umran Malik is least likely to board the plane to Australia. He has only recently emerged onto the international scene after a breakthrough season at the IPL. However, it hasn't been a great start to his India career with the bowler getting clobbered in each of his three matches. It's way too early for the very rapid Malik and he will not be making it to the World Cup

• Matches: 3
• Wickets: 2
• Economy: 12.44
• Average: 56
• Strike Rate: 27

4) Mohammed Shami

The most experienced bowler of the lot, Shami has quietly emerged as a favourite despite not even making it to the standby list. He has turned out 17 times for India in the shortest format and picked up 18 wickets.

He is a veteran in India colours, across formats, and he will primarily battle Deepak Chahar for the final spot. The only thing going against Shami is the fact that Chahar has been involved in the South Africa series unlike him. Still, he is a very strong candidate owing to his experience.

• Matches: 17
• Wickets: 18
• Economy: 9.55
• Average: 31.56
• Strike Rate: 19.83

Yes Australian pitches need pace but that's for longer formats. Pace on Australian pitches doesn't bother much to quality batters. A smart bowling unit is necessary, those who can mix pace and have variations.

A suggestion
Replace Jasprit Bumrah with Deepak Chahar. That's it.

— David (@CricketFreakD1) October 3, 2022

5) Deepak Chahar

The Chennai Super Kings pacer has racked up the most number of matches for India in this list. He is also the most economical of the bunch with a superior average and strike rate. He is currently on the standby list and many fans expect him to leapfrog Shami and the rest into the final 15. However, if there is one cause of concern for the selectors it would be his pace. Chahar isn't as quick as Shami and on bouncy, fast pitches of Australia, the selectors might think differently.

Which player should replace Jasprit Bumrah in T20 world cup squad?
Like :- Mohammed Shami
Retweet :- Deepak chahar #JaspritBumrah pic.twitter.com/CLxggYhX7n

— Dhaval (@CricCrazy0) September 29, 2022

But all said and done, his stats don't lie and he had an economical outing against South Africa. Today's final T20 against South Africa is an audition for Deepak Chahar, and a good performance today will help seal the deal.

• Matches: 23
• Wickets: 28
• Economy: 7.8
• Average: 23.39
• Strike Rate: 17.57