3 reasons why India should prepare to play 2023 World Cup without Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best fast bowlers in the world at the moment. However, the pacer's career has been plagued by a lot of injuries of late. He has not played a single competitive game since the India vs. Australia T20I series last September.

Bumrah was ruled out with a back injury, and he has suffered from niggles regularly as well. The fast bowler is reportedly heading to New Zealand now, where he will undergo surgery. He will miss the upcoming IPL season as well as the World Test Championship final (if India qualify).

The BCCI is planning to have Jasprit Bumrah fit in time for the Cricket World Cup 2023, scheduled to take place in India. The mega event will feature 10 teams. India will play at least nine matches in the tournament.

While Jasprit Bumrah has been a match-winner for India in ODI cricket, here are three reasons why the BCCI should consider preparing for the Cricket World Cup 2023 without him.

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah may need time for recovery after surgery

England v India - 1st Royal London Series One Day International (Image: Getty)

Jasprit Bumrah will need a lot of time to attain full fitness and start bowling long spells after his surgery. The ICC mega-event for this year is not the T20 World Cup, where a team plays around five to six matches, and a bowler bowls a maximum of four overs. A typical T20 game lasts about three hours.

It is the ODI World Cup, where a team plays nine matches against the world's best in the 50-over format. Bowlers can bowl a maximum of 10 overs in games that can go up to nine hours. Since Bumrah is India's top bowler, he will have to be fit to bowl at least 90 overs in the tournament.

If India qualify for the final, the numbers will go up to 110. Even if Bumrah attains fitness, expecting 110 overs from him in the space of two months will be a huge ask.

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#2 Jasprit Bumrah may not have enough match practice

England v India - 2nd Royal London Series One Day International (Image: Getty)

Match practice is key for any player before a tournament like the ODI World Cup. Bumrah will probably not have enough match practice for the mega event. He will undergo surgery and will need a few months to start bowling to his full potential.

Picking a rusty player in the playing XI for a World Cup match will be a huge risk. It will be interesting to see if BCCI takes the risk.

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#3 BCCI has enough time to groom 2 to 3 fast bowlers

England & India Net Sessions (Image: Getty)

The selectors have around six months to groom two to three fast bowlers for the ODI World Cup 2023. They can give opportunities to the likes of Deepak Chahar, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Sen, Arshdeep Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Avesh Khan and even T Natarajan to showcase their talents in the pace unit.

India have two top-quality pacers in Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. Another good thing is that the tournament will happen in India. So, the Men in Blue can use all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the third fast-bowling option and select an extra spinner in the playing XI.