Former skipper Ravi Shastri reckons that Jasprit Bumrah's potential absence could severely weaken the Indian team in the Champions Trophy but advised against rushing the premier fast bowler's return to the national side.
Bumrah suffered back spasms in the fifth Test against Australia at Sydney in January, and did not bowl in the second innings. He hasn't bowled for India since then, though he has been included in the initial squad for the prestigious ODI tournament.
Bumrah is undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA and is not in the ODI squad for the three-match series against England beginning Thursday.
The sports science experts are expected to provide an update on his fitness to the BCCI after which a call would be taken on the Champions Trophy, which will be held in Pakistan and UAE.
The opening game is scheduled in Karachi on February 19 while India will play all their games in Dubai.
"Bumrah not fit will reduce India's chances (of winning the Champions Trophy) by 30%, literally by 30-35%," Shastri said in the latest edition of ICC Review.
"With a fully fit Bumrah playing, you are guaranteed of those death overs. It would've been a different ball game altogether," opined Shastri.
Bumrah, who had a sensational last year to claim the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year as well as the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year, played a pivotal role in India winning the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the USA.
He also claimed 32 wickets, the highest from both sides, in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Tests in Australia.
Shastri warned against rushing the stalwart back.
"I think it's high risk. There's too much big cricket coming up for India. And at this stage of his career, I think he's too precious to be just called on for one game out of the blue and asked to deliver."
"The expectations will be so much. They'll think that he'll come in straight away and set the world on fire. It's never that easy when you come back from injury," said Shastri.
Legendary Australian cricketer Ponting said Bumrah's absence could shift the focus on Shami, who recently returned to the India side following a 14-month injury layoff and rehabilitation.
He felt the back spasms Bumrah suffered in Australia could be due to the pacer not getting the support of Shami.
"My biggest concern about India when they came for Australia in the Test series was Bumrah not having Shami there as a backup and him having to burden most of the load," Ponting said on The ICC Review.
"And that's probably what happened, and might even have something to do with why he (Bumrah) got hurt. He probably ended up having to bowl a bit more in that series with Shami not being there. So look, if Shami's fit, that's a positive," said Ponting.
Shastri said Shami's fitness would be keenly followed in the ODI series against England.
"It will be interesting to see if India play him out in all three, or they give him the first one and the third one, and then ease him into the Champions Trophy. But he'll be watched very closely because 10 overs is totally different to four overs, and then you're going to see how he pulls up in the field as well having bowled those 10 overs."
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