Bumrah、Shami Fitnessインストール：Aakash Chopraは、ICCチャンピオンズトロフィーのインドのリズム問題を説明しています

The ICC Champions Trophy is just around the corner, and the Indian team is facing a pace conundrum that’s got everyone worried. Former opener Aakash Chopra has sounded the alarm, expressing concerns about the readiness and fitness of two of India’s senior pacers, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.

Mohammed Shami far from ready

Let’s start with Shami. The 34-year-old pacer has been on the comeback trail since October, but his recent performances have been patchy at best. He featured in only two matches of the recent five-match T20I series against England, and while he did take three wickets in the last match, Chopra believes he’s still far from ready.

“Shami is far from ready,” Chopra said, speaking on his YouTube channel. “He did take three wickets in the last match, but he’s still not at his best. You can’t expect him to deliver at the Champions Trophy if he’s not fully fit.”

What about Jasprit Bumrah?

And then there’s Bumrah. The star pacer suffered a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, and his fitness status is still unclear. The BCCI had added Harshit Rana as his replacement for three ODIs against England, but Chopra believes that’s not enough. Yesterday, Bumrah was excluded from the ODIs altogether, as Varun Chakravarthy was added.

“I am not hearing great news about Bumrah’s fitness,” Chopra said. “We need to be cautious and make sure we have enough backup options. Four fast bowlers should have been included in the Champions Trophy squad, but we’ve only got three.”

Chopra’s concerns are valid, especially given the importance of pace bowling in Dubai. The Champions Trophy is going to be a high-intensity tournament, and India needs to be prepared. Despite offering some breather for spinners, the Dubai surface tends to favour pacers as well, especially with the new ball. Had both Shami and Bumrah been in their full fitness, Team India could’ve surely been unbeatable. But now, there’s a huge problem for Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

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Siraj to be the answer?

So, what’s the solution? Chopra believes that Mohammed Siraj could be the answer. The Hyderabad pacer has been in good form recently, and Chopra thinks he could be the perfect addition to the Champions Trophy squad.

“I feel a fast bowler will get added to the squad,” Chopra said. “In whose place he will be, we shall find out. But I feel Siraj will go to the Champions Trophy. He’s been in good form, and he’s got the skills to deliver at the highest level.”

India’s Squad for ICC Champions Trophy

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja