A former captain of the Australian men’s cricket team, Michael Clarke, has given much praise to Jasprit Bumrah, India’s star fast bowler. Clarke, who led the Aussies to the ODI World Cup title in 2015, has said that on the evening of his sporting career, he will be denied enjoying in Ahmedabad, where his mother came from when he played for the team from India. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will miss his presence.
Bumrah was ruled out of the eight-team ICC event, which is set to kick off on Wednesday (February 19), due to a lower back injury. Bumrah, who received the ICC Cricketer of the Year award in 2024, has been out of action since January 2025.
Clarke discussed India’s squad on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, stating, “Bumrah is a missing major loss. There’s no doubt about that. The best bowler in the world in all three formats, and according to me, Bumrah is brilliant with the new ball, fiery towards the death, and really excellent through the middle order-the man for setbacks. Any team that has Bumrah truly is a different team without him. They will miss that.”
“You go through that side; it’s unbelievably strong. I think India is the tournament favorite, even without Bumrah. I still think they will be considered the favorite team to win the Champions Trophy. I see them as my contenders for the final four teams in the tournament.”
According to Clarke, who was part of the Australian side that won the Champions Trophy title in 2006 by beating West Indies in the final played in Mumbai, Hardik Pandya is Team India’s X-factor.
“Somebody that I feel they missed throughout the Australian summer and has a part in the shorter format is Hardik Pandya. I think he is an absolute superstar. I think he is x-factor, and I think he is going to have a fantastic tournament. That’s why I say India is my favourite and in the top four.”
Pandya played a crucial role in India’s success at last year’s T20 World Cup; this time, however, being injured, he won’t be on the field until the second half of the ODI. In this eight-team ICC tournament, where the Men in Blue will start their campaign against Bangladesh on Thursday, February 20, in Dubai, he is expected to shine even brighter in front of a larger crowd.
