Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 is under the shade of doubt. The latest reports reveal that the Indian cricket team is still waiting for an update on the 31-year-old’s fitness.
As February 11 is the last date to submit the finalized list of India’s 15-member squad, Bumrah’s unavailability for the third ODI in the ongoing 3-match series against England points out the higher chances of missing out on the 50-over tournament.
Earlier, the veteran pacer was named as a part of Team India’s provisional squad hoping that he would complete the rehabilitation procedure by the first week of February.
Also, the right-arm pacer recently underwent the second round of his back scan at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Once the scan results are out, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed medical staff will work jointly with the national selectors and the Indian team management before making any decision.
How Bumrah Injured His Back During Australian Tour 2024-25?
Bumrah succumbed to pressure and excess workload throughout the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 and faced severe back spasms during the first innings of the Sydney Test in January 2025. He was forced to leave the field midway of the innings to undergo scans. Since then, he has been out of action for more than a month.
After suffering a back injury, Jasprit was advised to relieve the work pressure for five weeks. With no time left for the management to finalize India’s squad, the test team vice-captain’s recovery comes under scrutiny.
Based on the previous reports revealed by the BCCI medical staff, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar said that Bumrah wouldn’t be available for a couple of matches.
Having missed the T20I series against England, India’s ace bowler was supposed to make a comeback into the squad for the climax of the ODI series scheduled on February 12 (Wednesday) in Ahmedabad before India travels to Dubai for the CT 2025.
Even though the talented pacer’s injury seemed to be a minor one, it turned out to be more severe than expected.
BCCI to Implement Hardik Pandya Strategy for Bumrah
The latest reports claim that BCCI with no time left, would try to wait for Bumrah’s return, just like the same strategy implemented with Hardik Pandya when he sustained injury during the group stages of the ODI World Cup 2023. However, the Indian all-rounder was replaced with Prasidh Krishna in the latter stages of the tournament.
The incidents that happened with Hardik and Jasprit seem to be the same. Even if there is a 1% chance left, BCCI would like to introduce Bumrah in the remaining half of the Champions Trophy 2025. In other words, India could retain him in the 15-member squad and replace him later based on the approvals received from the ICC.
Moreover, February 11 is just the timeline set to confirm the squad. The BCCI could approach the tournament’s technical committee later to recruit a replacement if Bumrah doesn’t regain complete fitness.
Having been the core part of India’s pace bowling attack, the Indian cricket board is expected to always go an additional mile to secure his services for the tournament, regardless of missing a few matches in the initial stages.
Possible Replacement for Bumrah’s Absence in Champions Trophy
Harshit Rana appears to be the frontrunner for Bumrah’s replacement if he misses out on the Champions Trophy 2025. The 23-year-old pacer has fared well since his international debut against Australia on 22nd November 2024 in Perth. Also, he has been exceptional with the white ball in the ongoing bilateral series against England, having bagged 7 wickets in the limited overs format (T20Is- 3 wickets and ODIs- 4 wickets).
Especially, Rana has been impressive in his ODI debut in Nagpur with his exceptional bowling figures of 3-53 in 7 overs.
Final Verdict:
As BCCI is yet to provide an official update on Bumrah’s fitness after recovering from injury, India would be keen to keep a bunch of options ready for the high-profile tournament. The ongoing England ODI series witnessed the stunning debuts of Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy to the squad, which further bolsters the bowling attack in Jasprit’s absence.
Currently, the selectors need to make a tough choice with two options left— either agree with the inclusion of Bumrah in the squad or find a perfect replacement.
Suppose, the speedster is certified unfit for starting matches but succeeds in recovering in the later stages of the tournament, he would be retained in the squad. If not, young pacer Harshit Rana finds a golden opportunity to replace the specialist bowler.
Most importantly, Bumrah needs to receive a clearance certificate from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) before confirming his availability for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Finally, Bumrah’s scan reports and fitness update are set to be revealed within a few hours, thereby setting the discussion with BCCI for future course of action.