Jasprit Bumrah is not playing the Champions Trophy, but he was the International Cricket Council‘s (ICC) special guest last Sunday, when India played Pakistan in Dubai and India’s premier pacer was presented his ICC awards in a small ceremony before the match.
Bumrah’s back injury kept him out of India’s Champions Trophy squad, after he ended a stellar 2024 season to earn the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year, besides being named the ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year.
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Top performances across formats made the 31-year-old right-arm pacer an automatic pick for the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year and ICC T20I Team of the Year.
Sharing his feelings in an interview with the ICC, Bumrah said: ‘It feels really good. As a child, I’d seen some of my childhood heroes win this (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) award. Always a privilege when you get such an honour.”
Bumrah played the lead role in India’s T20 World Cup victory last June in Barbados, ending India’s 11-year wait for another ICC trophy. He took 15 wickets in the tournament at an average of just 8.26 and an economy rate of a staggering 4.17 only.
“The T20 World Cup, which we won, is always going to be special and will be there in my mind. Obviously, a lot of learnings in my mind in the year as well. We played a lot of Test cricket; we got to know a lot of different experiences. So yeah, I’m very happy, and hopefully better things will follow,” said Bumrah.
In Tests last year, he took 71 wickets, averaging 14.92, which included 32 wickets in the five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy.
In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Shami is leading India’s attack, having returned to the white-ball squad in the home series against England for the first time after the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Shami marked his return to the ICC events with a five-wicket haul in India’s opening group match against Bangladesh.
“I’m really happy for him,” said Bumrah. “Obviously he’s had an injury struggle for so long. It takes a toll. But he’s been very happy and very positive. Looks good; he has the skill, obviously. That will never go anywhere. The more he plays, the more confidence will come, and hopefully he’ll help the team go further.”
