India are missing Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing Champions Trophy,but Mohammed Shami’s presence will cover it up a great deal, believes former captain Sourav Ganguly.
Shami recorded a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh on Thursday. Shubman Gill got a century.
“I had said that Bumrah needs Shami, and Shami needs Bumrah. Unfortunately, Bumrah is not fit for this tournament. Shami is, and I’m not surprised by his five wickets against Bangladesh.
“He will continue to lead the attack throughout the tournament. Obviously, Bumrah is the best bowler in the world at the moment, but Shami is not too far behind. The only thing is, he just needs to stay fit throughout the tournament and shoulder the responsibility,” Sourav said on the sidelines of a promotional here on Friday.
While Shami had a good game, Virat Kohli once again stumbled, falling for 22 to Rishad Hossain’s leg-spin. But Sourav said there were no reasons to be concerned.
“The quality of cricketer Virat Kohli is — I’m sure he will be able to sort this out. He has got 81 international hundreds... It was probably just one of those days when he got out. He has to find a way to play it.”
The 52-year-old also spoke about the quality of the current Indian team. “India are such a strong side, especially in batting... India have five Shubman Gills from one, two, three, four, five... who can all score hundreds and win matches. When Axar Patel bats at five for India, can you imagine the depth?”
