Jasprit Bumrah's Replacements- Uncapped Players India Can Groom For 2027 World Cup

Bumrah has been injury-prone in recent years [Source: AFP]

Jasprit Bumrah is irreplaceable in the Indian team, and there is nobody who can touch him in terms of skill set. However, Bumrah is an injury-prone bowler, and over the years, the right-arm pacer has suffered multiple injuries that have hampered his career.

Since the 2023 World Cup, India have hardly used Bumrah in ODIs as the pacer has only played two matches, and has been used more in the other two formats. The Indian seamer played in the first two ODI games against England, but he sustained another injury before the series decider and was ruled out of the contest.

The pacer will certainly be an important part of India’s 2027 World Cup squad, but leading up to the event, he won’t play all the games as India will carefully manage his workload. 

Judging by how the Indian bowlers performed in the ODIs against England, the management needs to groom someone to replace Bumrah in the 50-overs format, and here are the bowlers the BCCI can develop to become an important part of the squad in Bumrah’s absence.

1) Yash Thakur

The 27-year-old right-arm fast bowler has been promising in the domestic circuit, and the BCCI should look to groom him for the World Cup 2027. Yash Thakur is skiddy and can generate seam movement to trouble the best in the business.

He has been a part of the India A squad, and he recently featured in the tri-series involving Afghanistan and the Sri Lanka A team. He scalped 5 wickets in the three matches that he played and was one of the best players for the Men in Blue.

Moreover, the Indian pacer also boasts a stellar List-A record, and the stats reveal the reality.

(Yash Thakur List-A stats)

• In just 57 matches, Yash Thakur has scalped 90 wickets, with an impressive average of 27. Moreover, his economy stands at just 5.40, showcasing his control over lines and lengths.
• He is excellent with the new ball and can also chip in in the slog overs, a trait that has been mastered by Jasprit Bumrah to perfection.

2) Ashok Sharma

Ashok Sharma is fast and furious, and he broke the speed barrier in the IPL 2026 season. The South African pitches during the World Cup 2027 will produce spicy wickets, and perhaps India needs a genuine speedster who can wreak havoc.

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The 24-year-old pacer is still raw, and at 24, he has ample time to learn the skill set. The bowler certainly needs to work on his lines and lengths, but he does have the sheer ability to bamboozle the batters with pace and bounce.

He has only played 8 List-A games and has taken 14 wickets, with an average of 33.57. Ashok Sharma might not be high on the pecking order, but he certainly can be a solid option in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.

3) Sakib Hussain

Sakib Hussain has not played any List-A cricket, but sometimes, selections are made on the basis of an eye test, and not numbers. Even Bumrah, when he joined the Indian side, had played limited games, but the team management saw potential, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Interestingly, just like Bumrah, Sakib is an all-phase bowler. He can strike in the power play, can come in the middle-overs to take wickets, and is also brilliant in the death overs, as witnessed in the IPL 2026.

Without Bumrah, there is no quality death-overs specialist in the Indian team, and Sakib’s inclusion will solve that problem for Team India.

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