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Pakistan's interim head coach Aaqib Javed said India should be worried about the fitness of their leading fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah ahead of their clash in the upcoming Champions Trophy, set to happen in Dubai on February 23. Bumrah has been out of action since back spasms ruled him out of bowling in the fourth innings of the Sydney Test. He is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, where the clarity on his Champions Trophy availability will come after scans are done, as claimed by captain Rohit Sharma on the eve of the ODI series in Nagpur.
"They should be worried about Bumrah's fitness. When you play in the Champions Trophy, the most beautiful thing about it is you can't take any team lightly. The top eight best teams are playing. If any team has a bowler like Bumrah, it is a plus point. But it is not like we will plan everything around him," Aaqib told reporters on the sidelines of Pakistan's training session at the Ghani Glass ground in Lahore on Wednesday.
In Pakistan's squad for the Champions Trophy, there's been a lot of outrage from critics and team supporters around the selections of Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah, who haven't garnered many notable performances to be eligible for selection in the eight-team tournament.
“It's not right to make changes based on the performances of two matches and therefore it will most likely be the same team for the Champions Trophy. And when you look into it specifically that you have three pool matches against New Zealand, India and Bangladesh, you need top seven batters with four bowling options, including two all-rounders.
“Both Faheem and Khushdil are better choices to play in the sub-continent conditions as compared to Australia or South Africa,” added Aaqib, who's also functioning as the team's chief selector.
He also said Pakistan's objective should be to post a total of around 325 runs with the bat in the tri-series featuring New Zealand and South Africa, as well as in the Champions Trophy.
“In recent years, 200 runs have become the benchmark in T20 cricket, so a score of 325 or even 350 is quite possible in ODIs, especially with the change in fielding restrictions that allow only four fielders outside the circle in the early overs," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News Agency staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)