'Bumrah hasn’t been around for quite some time' - Hardik Pandya confident of India's fast-bowling depth ahead of Australia ODIs

Stand-in Indian skipper Hardik Pandya is confident of his side's ability to cope with the absence of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming ODI series against the Men in Yellow. Pandya, who will be leading the Indian team in the first ODI due to the absence of Rohit Sharma, stated that Bumrah's absence does not weaken India's fast bowling department in a press conference ahead of the three-match series.

Indian bowling ace Jasprit Bumrah's recurring back injury has turned into a headache for the team management as the pacer has not featured for the national side since September last year, which saw him miss India's T20 World Cup campaign in Australia. However, stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya isn't too flustered about Bumrah's absence as he believes the team has got enough firepower in their ranks to trouble their opponents.

“Jassi hasn’t been around for quite some now. 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. 

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,” Pandya said in the pre-match press conference on Thursday. 

I am a guy who trusts his team: Hardik Pandya

Shedding light on India's troublesome relationship with injuries, Pandya maintained his faith in the strength and conditioning coaching team. He also backed the idea of managing the workload of the players, which is of utmost importance for the cricketers, given the hectic calendar, which is congested with fixtures without much rest in between for the individuals.

“That is not my call. We have to have amount of faith in our S&Cs (Strength and Conditioning). I am a guy who trusts his team. These calls of workload, who should play when, who should not play that is completely on the guy who are professionals and it is their call. 

All these guys are confident if they miss out some matches, then they miss out. It’s okay. That’s the confidence we have. If someone misses out because of workload management, this management has shown confidence and trust in the players. I think that’s the reason players who have gone out have comeback with a lot of security,” he added.

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