Axar Patel tells Jasprit Bumrah to ‘warm-up’ with Team India players, pacer reacts; Virat Kohli checks on pacer’s injury
Jasprit Bumrah met his India teammates on Sunday during their warm-up drills before the match against Pakistan.
Jasprit Bumrah met the Indian players and had a light-hearted conversation with a few of them ahead of the high-octane clash against Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2025. Bumrah, who has been sidelined from the marquee ICC event, was present at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to watch the mega clash as he also received his ICC honours, including the Men's Cricketer of the Year and Men's Test Cricketer of the Year awards, before the start of match.
Bumrah met his India teammates on Sunday during their warm-up drills before the match against Pakistan. Virat Kohli graciously hugged the star paceman and asked him about his back injury. The duo further chatted about the hot weather in Dubai.
Kohli said, "It's hotter today; there was a breeze last time, but there isn't any today."
Bumrah then caught up with Mohammed Shami, alongside whom he ran riot during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, Axar Patel had a jolly meet-up with the injured pacer as he cheekily asked him to do some 'warm-up'.
He later met Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana and wished them the best for the mega clash.
Bumrah, who was named the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2024, was the leading-wicket-taker in international cricket last year, with 86 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 13.76, with four four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls and best figures of 6/45. Particularly in Tests, the Indian pace spearhead enjoyed one of the greatest calendar years by a bowler, with 71 scalps in 13 matches at an average of 14.92.
India bowl out Pakistan for 241
Meanwhile, during the high-octane clash on Sunday, the Indian bowlers stamped their authority over the Pakistan bowlers and bowled them out for a below-par 241.
Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for India with three scalps under his kitty, while Hardik Pandya also claimed the crucial wickets of Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel.
Pakistan struggled to get going after electing to bat first. After losing the opening pair early, Pakistan did get some relief with Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan holding their fort but the scoring rate was always below-par during their innings. Shakeel (62, 76b, 5x4) was largely fluent and added 104 runs for the third wicket with skipper Rizwan (46), but Pakistan never really managed to break the shackles after opting to bat.
