CHENNAI: The most anticipated news, and perhaps even an expected one at some level, was confirmed by the BCCI on Tuesday night as Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the upcoming Champions Trophy that is set to be played in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 till March 9. Harshit Rana will travel to Dubai in Bumrah's place with the Indian team.
Meanwhile. spinner Varun Chakravarthy also has been selected in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal who had been named in the 15-member provisional squad. "Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement," the BCCI said in a statement.
Bumrah, who walked off the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the first week of January due to back swelling, was racing against the clock to get ready for the global event. In the time since the fifth Test against Australia, Bumrah has been resting and in rehab before going to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He was initially named in the squad for the second and third ODIs for England before being replaced by Harshit Rana. However, Bumrah had his scans — the results Indian captain Rohit Sharma said they were waiting for — and was finally ruled out of the squad for the upcoming global event.
This announcement comes after the meeting between captain Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar in Ahmedabad ahead of the third and final ODI against England on Tuesday. His replacement Rana debuted in Nagpur and has impressed with the way he has been able to run in, hit the deck hard and rush the England batters. That India also have Arshdeep Singh who could bowl in the back-end will give them confidence in the absence of their premier pacer. In fact, it was one of the reasons why the left-arm pacer was picked ahead of Mohammed Siraj for the tournament. "We’re awaiting updates on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness from the BCCI medical team, expected in early February," Agarkar had said while naming the squad in January. "With Bumrah’s status unclear, we needed bowlers who can perform across phases. Unfortunately, Siraj is more dependent on the new ball, which limits our options," Sharma had explained at that time.
Although India have a week gap between the second and third league stage game in Dubai, with a long Test summer in England ahead — as things stand Bumrah is still next in line for captaincy — and considering the significance he holds in Indian cricket, the selectors and the team management might not want to risk rushing him back on the field. The last time such a thing happened, Bumrah was out of action for almost a year and India would not want to see it happen again. For now, however, focus will be on Arshdeep and Rana as they will be crucial to India's plans in winning the Champions Trophy.