(L-R) Kapil Dev, Jasprit Bumrah: Kapil Dev Blames Demanding Schedule As Culprit Behind Injuries To Indian Players: 'They Play 10 Months A Year' (Source: AP)
India suffered a big blow ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy as ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the showpiece event. Bumrah picked up a back injury during the fifth Test against Australia. He played all five Tests Down Under and broke down in the series finale. This is not the first time India lost a key player ahead of an ICC event. India missed the services of Jasprit Bumrah during the T20 World Cup 2022 as well. During the 2023 ODI World Cup, Hardik Pandya suffered an injury and was ruled out of the tournament. Similarly, Mohammed Shami was out of action for more than a year after the ODI World Cup due to an injury before making a comeback recently.
Former India captain Kapil Dev raised concerns about the demanding cricket schedule and blamed it for the rising number of injuries to Indian players.
“The only thing that worries me is that they play for 10 months a year — injuries will be much more common,” Dev said.
When asked if Bumrah's injury would be a big setback to India's campaign in the Champions Trophy, Kapil Dev played down the concerns and said why talk about someone who is not in the team. Kapil said cricket is a team game and if they play as a team, India will win the tournament.
“Why talk about someone who is not in the team? It’s a team game, and the team has to win, not individuals. This is not badminton, tennis, or golf; we are playing a team sport in the Champions Trophy. If we play as a team, we will definitely win,” said the 66-year-old.
“You never want your main players to get injured, but if it happens, you can’t do anything about it. Good luck to my Indian team — go and play well,” he added.
He also wished luck to team India as they gear up for the Champions Trophy. India will play their first match against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium on February 20.
“When you see the youngsters, their confidence is unbelievable. We didn’t have this much confidence when we were young. Good luck to them,” Dev said.
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