We aren’t much bothered: Hardik on Bumrah’s absence

Stand-in captain for the first ODI match against Australia, Hardik Pandya believes star pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s absence from the match will not affect the Indian pace attack department’s strength. The India-Australia ODI series starts on 17 March in Mumbai. The hosts will also be without their regular captain Rohit Sharma for the first game but he is set to return for the last two games. In his absence, Hardik Pandya will lead the side in the first ODI at the Wankhede Stadium. Bumrah has been out of action since September 2022 owing to a back injury and as a result, missed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The ace pacer completed his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and has been seen bowling in the nets but BCCI have chosen not to rush him back into action. “Jasprit hasn’t been around for quite some now. In the bowling group, we have been doing a decent job. They’re all experienced now….the number of games they have played. Having Jassi makes a massive difference but to be very honest, we aren’t much bothered because the guys who have taken the role of Jassi, I am quite confident they’ll be doing very well. It gives us good confidence,” Hardik Pandya said in the pre-match press conference on Thursday. Bumrah isn’t the only injury the Indian think tank is dealing with right now. Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the upcoming series due to a recurrence of a lower-back injury and will also miss the upcoming IPL season. India will miss key middle-order batter Iyer due to the recurrence of a back injury. The Mumbai batter was India’s go-to number four option in recent months, and the team will need someone to fill in the position in his absence. “I have been in that situation where back could be a problem….we’ll miss him but we have to find solutions if he isn’t around. If he is, he is of course welcome. There’s a lot of time to think about how we can go forward,” the stand-in captain Pandya said. “That is no