'Would have given India a 90 had Bumrah been there' - R Ashwin rates India's chances at Champions Trophy 2025
"I'll give them 85 [rating]. I would given India a 90 had Bumrah been there because India is completely different with him in the mix," said Ashwin.
Indian team experienced an early set back before Champions Trophy 2025 as ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. The team has roped in Harshit Rana as the premier pacer' replacement and he will take the mantle to lead the pace battery in tandem with veteran Mohammed Shami and left-armer Arshdeep Singh.
Ahead of the tournament, multiple cricketers have made their predictions and former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has joined the bandwagon. While predicting Indian team’s chance at the Champions Trophy, Ashwin asserted that unavailabity of Bumrah will certainly hurt the team.
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"I'll give them 85 [rating]. I would given India a 90 had Bumrah been there because India is completely different with him in the mix. The only concern for India in my view is that all their games are in Dubai. Let's say we lose all three tosses and are put into bat first because it's chalk and cheese between day and night at this venue. So if opponents bat under lights, this 85 might start dropping," said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
It is worth noting that, India have five spinners in their squad including all-rounder’s Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, making theirs the most spin-heavy unit amongst all other teams in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the former spinner also rated New Zealand, giving them an equal 85. New Zealand, who are part of India's group alongside Pakistan and Bangladesh, have been in prime form, coming after a victory in the recently-concluded tri-series involving hosts Pakistan and South Africa in the buildup to Champions Trophy. As for the other two teams, Ashwin rated Pakistan 55 while he gave 45 to Bangladesh.
India squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Non Travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required.
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