'Aren’t Much Bothered': Stand In Skipper Hardik Pandya's Straightforward Verdict On Jasprit Bumrah

The last time Bumrah played for India was back in September 2022. Due to a back injury, he was ruled out from the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.

The Men in Blue are set to play the three-match ODI series against Australia, beginning on Friday. Since Rohit Sharma will not be taking part, ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been handed over the captaincy for the first ODI.

Stand In skipper Hardik Pandya talked about a few issues, including India's bowling department and Jasprit Bumrah in the pre-match press conference. On being asked about Jasprit Bumrah, he said, “Jassi hasn’t been around for quite some now,” he said in the pre-match press conference on Thursday. “The bowling group, we have been doing a decent job. They’re all experienced now….the number of games they have played. Having Jassi makes a massive difference but to be very honest, we aren’t much bothered because the guys who have taken role of Jassi, I am quite confident they’ll be doing very well. It gives us good confidence.”

The last time Bumrah played for India was back in September 2022. Due to a back injury, he was ruled out from the T20 World Cup in Australia. A lot of talks have been going around if Bumrah can feature in the 50-over World Cup later this year.

Apart from Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer is also injured and has been ruled out of the upcoming series due to a lower back injury. Since 2023, the Mumbai-based batter has been going through with his lower back issue. As a result, he missed the ODI series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and the first Test against Australia in Nagpur. In the 4th Test also, Iyer was forced to sit out because of his back problem.

“I have been in that situation where back could be a problem….we’ll miss him but we have to find solutions if he isn’t around,” Pandya said.  “If he is, he is of course welcome. There’s a lot of time to think about how we can go forward.”

Since this calendar year is packed for the Indian team, the major problem is workload management. Hardik said, “That is not my call. We have to have amount of faith in our S&Cs (Strength and Conditioning). I am a guy who trusts his team. These calls of workload, who should play when, who should not play that is completely On guy who are professionals and it is their call. All these guys are confident if they miss out some matches, then they miss out. It’s okay. That’s the confidence we have. If someone misses out because of workload management, this management has shown confidence and trust in the players. I think that’s the reason players who have gone out have comeback with a lot of security.”