T20 World Cup 2022: 3 reasons why Jasprit Bumrah's injury is a big blow to India
The Indian team have been dealt another major injury blow with Jasprit Bumrah reportedly being ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a stress fracture in his lower back.
The fast bowler did not feature in India's eight-wicket win against South Africa on Wednesday, September 28. The BCCI confirmed that Bumrah complained of back pain during a practice session on Tuesday and was ruled out of the first game of the series after being assessed by the medical staff.
Reports suggest that the fast bowler did not even travel to Trivandrum. The fast bowler is expected to be out of action for about 4-6 months but won't require surgery to address the issue.
UPDATE 🚨 UPDATE 🚨
Jasprit Bumrah complained of back pain during India's practice session on Tuesday. The BCCI Medical Team assessed him. He is ruled out of the first #INDvSA T20I.
#TeamIndia
Needless to say, Jasprit Bumrah's absence will be a huge blow to the side. Here, we take a look at three reasons why his absence will be costly for India.
#3 India's death bowling is already an issue
India's death bowling has been a cause for concern in recent times. In the recently concluded series against Australia, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel were trusted to do the job for the side in death overs. However, neither of them instilled confidence in the management with their performances in the series.
Bhuvneshwar conceded 91 runs at an economy rate of 13 runs per over, while Harshal Patel went for 99 runs at an economy rate of a little under 13. Both bowlers struggled to execute their yorkers, leaking runs against Matthew Wade and Tim David.
With Bumrah now ruled out, India will have to find a quick fix for their death bowling woes ahead of the marquee T20 event.
#2 Jasprit Bumrah was the spearhead of that pace unit
Massive blow for India! 🤯🇮🇳
#India #TeamIndia #JaspritBumrah #T20WorldCup #CricketTwitter https://t.co/fAGxdQNdXV
A fully fit Jasprit Bumrah is a priceless asset to the Indian side. His ability to be a wicket-taking option with the new ball, as well as a lethal death bowler on most days, has earned him the tag as one of the best bowlers in the world.
When available for selection, the 28-year-old is the leader of the bowling unit and usually sets the tone for his side upfront. The likes of Bhuvneshwar and Deepak Chahar usually rely on the swing on offer for wickets with the new ball, instead of hitting the deck hard.
On the contrary, Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh are usually renowned for their skills at the backend of the innings rather than the new ball. This meant Bumrah was the only bowler who could offer Rohit Sharma the luxury of bowling in any phase of the game.
#1 India don't have replacements lined up
How does a team replace someone like Jasprit Bumrah? Truth be told, they can't. There's a small bracket of bowlers in the world who can offer what the Mumbai Indians (MI) cricketer can deliver. India sadly have none of their other bowlers in that same bracket.
We've already spoken about how the pacer offers Rohit some flexibility with his capability to bowl at any stage of the innings. He is also the only bowler in the current squad who can touch the 140 kph mark, which will be a crucial factor on Australian pitches.
This could mean that Mohammed Shami, who is on the reserve list, is almost certain to be named as a replacement. However, the Bengal pacer hasn't featured in a single T20I game since last year's T20 World Cup and has only returned to fitness after recovering from COVID-19.
While the Gujarat Titans (GT) bowler has been an improved T20 bowler in recent times and has enough experience with the conditions Down Under, it is unlikely that he alone would be able to fill the big boots of Bumrah.