ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Bhuvneshwar Kumar remembered as Aakash Chopra exposes India's fast-bowling woes
Published - 10 Feb 2025, 05:32 PM | Updated - 10 Feb 2025, 11:35 PM
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Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed his concerns over the fast bowling of Team India for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He said that without Jasprit Bumrah, the bowling is looking weak, pointing out that Mohammed Shami is far from his best.
India National Cricket Team are locking horns with England National Cricket Team in the three-match ODI series ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Although the Rohit Sharma-led side has taken an unassailable lead of 2-1 in the series there still are areas to work on ahead of the tournament.
Biggest cause of concern for India going into ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is the fast bowling unit
The biggest cause of concern is the fast bowlers as they haven't done anything good in the ongoing series. Mohammed Shami, who is making his return from injury, has looked far away from his best as he has been leaking a lot of runs and has struggled to pick wickets.
Harshit Rana made his debut in the first game and is still in the learning curve while Arshdeep Singh, who was picked in the squad ahead of the Mohammed Siraj, hasn't played a game in the series. To worsen the case more, there isn't any clarity related to Jasprit Bumrah but he is most likely to be ruled out.
If you see Mohammed Shami's comeback, he has not hit top gear yet - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra talked about India's fast bowling in the ongoing England series, saying that Jasprit Bumrah's absence is hurting. He also stressed Mohammed Shami's poor rhythm, adding that when his speed is low, he isn't effective. To validate his point, he also cited an example of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he said:
"How confident are we with our fast-bowling resources? The truth is that Jasprit Bumrah's absence is hurting. Based on what we have seen thus far, it seems like our fast bowling is our weak link. If you see Mohammed Shami's comeback, he has not hit top gear yet. We are hoping that he will reach there."
"The pace is slightly depleted. Bhuvneshwar Kumar at 132 kph is going to be outstanding because he is very sharp at 132 kph. However, if Mohammed Shami bowls at 132 kph, he looks a little below his best because his bowling style is getting the ball to move at 137 or 138 kph. That brings the best out of Shami,' said Aakash Chopra.
If Adil Rashid hits him for three consecutive fours, you say he is not ready yet - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra further while talking about Mohammed Shami said that the fast bowler isn't ready, highlighting that Adil Rashid hit him for three boundaries. He elaborated:
"Shami is not bowling that well currently. If Adil Rashid hits him for three consecutive fours, you say he is not ready yet. He is leaking runs. The captain is not getting him to bowl 10 overs, and that is my problem. If you don't get him to bowl 10 overs, when will he get ready? He is a little far from his best." said Aakash Chopra
