David Lloyd laments Bumrah's absence from ICC Champions Trophy 2025
What's the story
Former England cricketer David Lloyd has expressed his disappointment over the absence of Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah from the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
Bumrah, whom Lloyd regards as the world's best bowler, has been sidelined due to a lower back injury sustained during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney.
Meanwhile, his replacement for the tournament is Harshit Rana.
Bowling worries
Lloyd highlights India's bowling concerns
Lloyd stressed Bumrah's absence could be a major hurdle for the Indian side, which now depends on Mohammed Shami as their most seasoned fast bowler.
Shami is also returning to international cricket after a long injury layoff.
"You are going to miss him (Bumrah). You can't get away from the fact that the best bowler in the world isn't playing, then you've got a problem," Lloyd told TalkSPORT.
Singh's readiness
Lloyd questions Arshdeep Singh's readiness for ODI cricket
Lloyd also expressed concerns over Arshdeep Singh's readiness for ODI cricket.
"If you are the opposition, test him out, really get into him. This is not T20, this is not a little party. You've got to come back and come back again, and that is something he won't be used to," he said.
Despite the concerns, Singh has been promising in his career thus far with 14 wickets from nine ODIs at an average of 23, (economy rate of 5.17).
T20 achievements
Arshdeep's impressive T20 record and Gambhir's optimism
Arshdeep has also made a mark in T20 cricket, becoming India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is in two and a half years of his debut.
He has taken 99 wickets from 63 matches at an average of 18.30 and an economy rate of 8.29.
Meanwhile, India's coach Gautam Gambhir stays optimistic despite Bumrah's absence, seeing it as an opportunity for bowlers like Shami and Rana to step up.
Team spirit
India's morale remains high ahead of Champions Trophy
Despite the setback, India's morale is high going into the competition starting February 19, after a convincing 3-0 series win against England.
"Look, it's always good to have a world-class bowler back," said Gambhir referring to Shami's comeback, as quoted by India Today.
"With his experience, with his quality, we all know what he can do with the ball in his hand."
India will start their campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh and face arch-rivals Pakistan three days later (Dubai).
Stats
Bumrah's ODI numbers at a glance
The star pacer owns 149 scalps across 89 ODIs, (88 innings). He averages 23.55, and boats an economy rate of 4.59.
Additionally, he also owns six four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls, alongside his best bowling inning of 6/19, (vs England).
Notably, he was also the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the 2023 ODI World Cup with 20 scalps in 11 games, (AVG: 18.65, ER: 4.06).
Meanwhile, the last time he played an ODI was during the 2023 World Cup.