ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Najmul Hossain Shanto insults Jasprit Bumrah at press conference

Bangladesh National Cricket Team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has categorically downplayed the absence of Jasprit Bumrah ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against India. Bangladesh will face India at the Dubai International Stadium on February 20.

Ahead of the Men in Blue’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener, Jasprit Bumrah’s injury has been a major talking point among the former cricketers, but Najmul Hossain Shanto showed little interest in discussing it in the pre-match press conference in Dubai on Wednesday.

Najmul Hossain Shanto unfazed by Jasprit Bumrah’s absence in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Notably, Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the prestigious tournament due to a back injury that he sustained during the fifth and final Test against Australia earlier this year in Sydney. Despite taking a month-long break and gradually resuming light bowling, the BCCI medical team and selectors decided it was too risky for him to play without full match preparation.

Read Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Watch: Faheem Ashraf defies Pakistan’s fielding reputation with terrific catch to dismiss Will Young

Bumrah was originally named in India’s provisional squad for the Champions Trophy 2025, but later Harshit Rana was named as his replacement in India’s 15-member squad. Well, a reporter asked Najmul Hossain Shanto whether the Bangladesh National Cricket Team felt relieved that they wouldn’t have to face Bumrah at the marquee event in the press conference.

However, the Bangladesh skipper opted to address another question about his team's transition from playing T20s in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) to adapting to the 50-over format, ignoring Bumrah’s impact before showing little concern over the Indian pacer’s absence.

I'm not someone thinking about any individual cricketer: Shanto

Shanto said that the Tigers are not focusing on any single Indian player, as India has many quality cricketers, and his team is more concerned about executing their own plans effectively instead of thinking about Bumrah’s absence in the Champions Trophy.

Najmul Hossain Shanto said, “I'm not someone thinking about any individual cricketer. I think they have a lot of quality players, so we are thinking about how we execute our plans.”

Speaking about India’s spin-heavy bowling attack, Shanto noted, “I'm not surprised if they put two or three spinners, because we have that idea of what the team combination will be tomorrow. So, we have that, all the preparation. The last few days we had a good practice session, so we know how the challenge will come tomorrow.”

Read Also: IND vs BAN Head-to-Head Records- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 2

Najmul Hossain Shanto says Bangladesh ready for Champions Trophy challenge

Bangladesh captain also opened up about his team's preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy. He mentioned that switching to the Duke ball helped fast bowlers adjust, and both local and overseas coaches played a vital role in guiding them. He also credited the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for supporting the development of their pace attack.

Shanto signed off by saying, “The wicket and the ball have been changed in first-class cricket. We play with the Duke ball, so the fast bowlers wanted to bowl a lot of overs, and we get a little bit charged. Obviously, there are a lot of local coaches and obviously overseas coaches there, so they helped, and they motivated the fast bowler on how they can compete in this international arena. So that is one thing: the ball and the wicket have changed, and thanks to BCB, the way they think about our fast bowlers. So, that is the one thing our first bowlers come up with.”