Jasprit Bumrah is critical for India's ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign - Aaron Finch

Jasprit Bumrah is critical for India's ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign - Aaron Finch: Former Australian white-ball captain, Aaron Finch believes team India will need the services of lead paceman Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He reckons Jasprit Bumrah provides a genuine wicket-taking option to the Indian team.

Notably, team India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah hasn't played cricket since last September. The speedster has struggled to recover from his back injury and has recently undergone surgery in New Zealand.

He is already ruled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 Final in Oval, London. However, there is a good chance of him returning for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in India in October-November.

Finch, speaking with the Times of India, said that Bumrah's absence will lead to a hole in the Indian lineup as the pacer possesses a cunning ability to take crucial wickets.

"I think getting Jasprit Bumrah back is vital for India. He is the best in the world when he is up and running. So, if he is not available, that will probably lead to a hole in the innings in terms of wicket-taking ability because he is so dangerous," said Aaron Finch.

However, he emphasised that the Indian side doesn't have a lot of issues in its playing unit and everything boils down to the execution on a particular day.

"But if the Indian opening combination, gets a good platform, then the rest of the team can be aggressive. There is power in the middle order with Hardik and Sky being there. There are not many weaknesses in the Indian team. They have got great spin options and very good fast bowlers. What will come down to in the World Cup will be execution on a particular day - a spell from a particular bowler or an innings from a batsman," he added.

It's important to note that India lost the last 50-over world cup after reaching the semi-finals in England. In fact, India has successfully reached knockouts more often than not in the ICC events but has struggled to move past it. The forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup will be held in India and it gives a huge opportunity to the Indian team to overcome its shortcoming and win an ICC tournament after a decade in front of its home crowd.

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For more details head to BCCI's official website.