It seems that terms such as ‘G.O.A.T.’, ‘the Best,’ or other superlatives are being overused these days. Even some batsmen with batting average in the 40s and the bowlers with one dimension skill-set are hailed as generational players. But a player’s importance and his greatness should be judged based on what he brings to the table and how his absence impacts the team’s performance.
Jasprit Bumrah is definitely one player whose presence in India’s Playing XI is enough to put off the opponent. However, the ace fast bowler is likely to miss the group stage of ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and it’s not a good news for Indian cricket team.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Steve Harminson compares Jasprit Bumrah to Cristiano Ronaldo
Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, former England fast bowler Steve Harminson compared Jasprit Bumrah to Cristiano Ronaldo. He said that Bumrah absence in the upcoming eight-team tournament would be like a FIFA World Cup without Cristiano Ronaldo.
“He’s Jasprit Bumrah. For me, you can’t replace Jasprit Bumrah anytime,” Harminson said during a podcast on TalkSport cricket.
“And I mean, I would even go up to the morning of the final to take him that far because he’s Jasprit Bumrah.
“He’s the best in the world. So that would be my take on from an Indian point of view.”
“It’s like going to a football World Cup with your best striker, Cristiano Ronaldo. 15 years ago you don’t replace Ronaldo until you have to replace him. So I think I would imagine that’s what India will do.
“Just put him in the squad and carry him around in a sedan chair. It’s a 14-man squad. That’s good enough to get me through the group games.
“We might get him by semifinal, more than the semifinal. If he’s not fit, we’ll replace him just in case we have another injury. But he’s Jasprit Bumrah,” Harminson added.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will start on February 19 with the match between Pakistan and New Zealand. The eight-team tournament consist of teams that finished in top eight in the 2023 ODI World Cup. That means, Sri Lanka, who finished ninth and West Indies, who failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, are not in the tournament.
Pakistan are the host nation but India’s matches and one semifinal match will be played in UAE. If India qualifies to the final, then the summit match will also be played in UAE. If India fails to make it to the final, then the big match will be played in Lahore.
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