3 reasons why India need not worry about Jasprit Bumrah missing Nepal clash in Asia Cup 2023
India will miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah in today's Asia Cup 2023 match against Nepal. The Men in Blue are in a do-or-die situation as a loss in today's game can lead to their early exit from the competition.
While Bumrah is fit to play, he has returned to Mumbai for the birth of his first child. Earlier today, the fast bowler shared a post on Instagram, informing fans about the birth of his son - 'Angad'.
Bumrah will return to Sri Lanka soon and link up with the squad ahead of the Super 4 round in Asia Cup 2023.
India's qualification in Super 4s depends on today's result. Although Jasprit Bumrah is an important member of the squad, here are three reasons why the Men in Blue need not worry about him missing the clash against Nepal.
#1 India have backup options available for Jasprit Bumrah
The good thing about India's squad for Asia Cup 2023 is that every bowler is fit and available to play in the tournament. In the previous match against Pakistan, India faced a selection headache as they had to pick two specialist pacers from Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami.
The Indian team management made the hard decision of leaving Shami out of the playing XI. Now that Bumrah is unavailable for today's match, the Men in Blue can slot Shami into the playing XI.
Shami has a brilliant record in ODIs. He can trouble the Nepal batters a lot with his pace and swing.
Another option available with India is Prasidh Krishna, who had a great series against Ireland last month. With two solid options available, India need not worry much about Bumrah's absence for just one game.
#2 Nepal's batting lineup is probably the weakest in Asia Cup 2023
Although India are in a do-or-die situation, they are up against probably the weakest team in Asia Cup 2023, Nepal. The Nepalese team are making their debut at the grand stage this year. Last week, Pakistan bulldozed them in the Asia Cup 2023 opener by 238 runs in Multan.
It should not be a surprise if India crush Nepal in today's match as well. Since Nepal's batting lineup is not the strongest one, India will likely manage a convincing victory despite the unavailability of their star pacer.
#3 Rain factor may come into play
Like the India vs Pakistan match, rain is predicted for today's Asia Cup 2023 game between India and Nepal. The Men in Blue did not bowl a single over in the previous fixture and earned one point as the match ended with no result.
There is a slight chance of the India vs Nepal match being washed out due to rain as well. In case the match is abandoned, India will earn one more point and seal their place in the Super 4s round.
With Jasprit Bumrah expected to return to Sri Lanka soon, the team should not sweat about the fast bowler's unavailability for just one group stage match.