After Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to injury, a wave of disappointment swept across India. Many fans seem to believe that without Bumrah, all hope is lost. However, former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reminded everyone that India had defeated England 3-0 in an ODI series without him.
Harbhajan also made a strong statement—India remains one of the favorites to win the Champions Trophy, even without Bumrah. He emphasized that the squad is packed with match-winners who can step up in his absence. Addressing players like Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, he pointed out that to win any major tournament, India must learn to succeed without relying on Bumrah.
Bumrah was initially named in coach Gambhir’s provisional squad for the tournament. However, with his back injury unlikely to heal in time, India replaced him with Harshit Rana.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said, “I still believe India is the favorite in the Champions Trophy. Bumrah is a huge asset and a match-winner, but the team still has plenty of experienced players like Arshdeep, Shami, Kuldeep, and Jadeja. India is the favorite, but they need to play like one.”
With Bumrah sidelined, the responsibility of leading India’s pace attack will fall on Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana. While his absence may weaken the bowling attack slightly, Harbhajan believes India’s batting lineup remains as strong as ever.
“I call India the favorite because of their overall strength,” he explained. “Rohit is back in form, Virat (Kohli) is scoring runs, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are performing well. Both the batting and bowling departments are delivering. I do think Bumrah’s absence will be felt in the final overs, especially when the opposition needs only a few runs with a couple of wickets in hand. But if India wants to win the tournament, they must learn how to play without Bumrah.”
