India are fretting over the availability of Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. The Indian ace speedster is currently out of action due to a back issue he picked up during the Border-Gavaskar series that ended in early January.
Bumrah has not featured in the first two ODIs against England and was in the squad for the third ODI. However, when the BCCI added Varun Chakravarthy to the squad, Bumrah’s name went missing.
He is also in the squad for the Champions Trophy but his availability will be subject to fitness. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will take the final decision on the speedster on February 11, the deadline for the final squad submission, ESPN Cricinfo reported.
The report added that Bumrah has had a scan on his back at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The medical team, the selectors and the management will now coordinate before arriving at the final decision on Bumrah.
India’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, had opened up on Bumrah while announcing the squad for the Champions Trophy. “Bumrah has been advised to rest for five weeks, and he won’t be available for the first two ODIs against England. We are monitoring his fitness and expect an update from the medical team in early February,” Agarkar had said.
In Bumrah’s place, Harshit Rana has been added to the Indian squad for the ODI series against the Three Lions. Harshit has played in both the first two ODIs and will seemingly play the third one too as Bumrah has travelled to Bengaluru.
The ace Indian speedster hasn’t played a competitive match since the fifth Test match against Australia in Sydney. He did not bowl in the second innings of that match, which possibly cost India big in the final result as the Men in Blue lost the match and the series by 1-3.
India will hope that Bumrah is available for the Champions Trophy, at least for the knockouts. India can keep him in the squad or can drop him if he is not fit. But if they have to pick him back at some stage in the Champions Trophy, they would need approval from the tournament’s technical committee as no changes can be made to the squad after February 11 without the approval of the committee.
