All the rest of the seven participating teams might have heaved a sigh of relief after it was confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah would miss the Champions Trophy due to a back injury. With no Bumrah, India's pace attack is significantly dented. Apart from the number one ranked Test bowler, The Men in Blue also don't have Mohammed Siraj in the team. The 30-year-old was the leading wicket-taker for the team in 2023, with over 50 wickets.
Instead of Siraj, India have added the left-arm angle of Arshdeep Singh in the CT squad and have also backed Harshit Rana to come good. While the Punjab pacer has turned out to be an X-factor player for India in T20Is, in ODIs Arshdeep is still raw. While he has smart variations up his sleeve, how he operates in power play and death overs in Bumrah's absence could prove to be decisive for India. Leading India's pace attack will be Mohammed Shami, who has just returned to playing cricket in the England series after a long injury layoff.
While there is no doubting Shami's caliber, the Bengal pacer is yet to hit the straps after making a comeback. The 34-year-old loves big stages, and a lot will depend on Shami to give India early breakthroughs in the power play.
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Can Arshdeep Singh, and Shami deliver in death overs for India?
Apart from Arshdeep and Shami, India have two pace bowling options in Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana. However, the MI captain will be used in the middle stage of the innings. In the death overs, India has to rely on Shami and Arshdeep. While Rana played three ODIs against England, the burly pacer did not look impressive in death overs. Arshdeep has the experience in bowling the fag of the innings in T20Is, and will most likely be playing instead of Rana.
The left-arm pacer can also handle pressure moments well, and it seems likely that he will be the second pacer in the team alongside Shami. Both the Pacers have to make sure they don't give enough runs in the death overs.
India team pace attack analysis & rating: 5/10
With no Bumrah and Shami just returning from injury, India's pace attack is surely not that strong. Worst, if either of Shami and Arshdeep have a bad day, then India will have to rely on Pandya and spinners to bail them out. Rohit Sharma would be desperately hoping for Shami to be at as threatening best in the power play and death overs in Bumrah's absence.
