Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis has expressed hope that Indian stalwart Jasprit Bumrah will be fully fit for the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to begin on February 19. Waqar praised Jasprit Bumrah for his bowling skills, adding that he is a tough bowler. For any mixture for face.
With the Champions Trophy just around the corner, all eyes are on Team India's 15-member squad, as almost all the participating teams have finalized their final rosters. Fans are eagerly awaiting confirmation of Jasprit Bumrah's inclusion in the team. Bumrah is working hard to regain full fitness in time for the tournament.
Ajit Agarkar's selection committee is closely monitoring Jasprit Bumrah's fitness
The 31-year-old had an outstanding performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, finishing the series as the highest wicket-taker with 32 wickets at an average of 13.06. However, he suffered back spasms during the fifth and final Test in Sydney, which limited his bowling in the second innings.
Bumrah's exceptional efforts earned him the Player of the Series award. The injury is being closely monitored by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). As a result, he will miss India's T20I series against England and is also likely to miss the 50-over series. Bumrah is highly doubtful to win the Champions Trophy.
Jasprit Bumrah is not an easy thing for any batsman to face – Waqar Younis
Speaking to the media in Abu Dhabi, Waqar Younis said that Jasprit Bumrah is a bowler who will be a challenge for any batsman to face. Waqar stressed that players like Bumrah are needed in world cricket and expressed hope that Bumrah will be fully fit for the Champions Trophy.
“It is not easy to face any batsman. The world of cricket needs players like him and I hope he is fully fit to win the Champions Trophy,” Waqar said, as reported by Cricketpakistan.pk.
Jasprit Bumrah was part of India's squad in the 2017 Champions Trophy held in England, but had a tough tournament. The right-arm fast bowler went wicketless in both the group stage match and the final match against Pakistan, giving away 68 runs in nine overs during the summit encounter.
I am confident that the Dubai Cricket Stadium will be full of fans – Waqar Younis
Speaking about the India vs Pakistan match on February 23, 2025 in the Champions Trophy, Waqar Younis said that it will be an exciting match. He also expected the Dubai Cricket Stadium to be packed with fans for the match.
Waqar said: “I am confident that the Dubai Cricket Stadium will be full of fans, and we will witness an exciting competition.”
Pakistan and India are the only teams yet to announce their squads for the Champions Trophy. The two teams are in Group A alongside Bangladesh and New Zealand. Pakistan, as co-hosts, will start the tournament on February 19 against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Defending champions Pakistan won the 2017 edition by defeating India in the final and are bidding for a second successive title. Coach Mohamed Radwan's team has been in strong form recently, achieving a series of victories over Australia and South Africa.
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