The BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has decided to exclude Jasprit Bumrah from India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad, despite his medical reports indicating that he had completed rehabilitation. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, however, was unable to confirm if the pacer would be fully fit to bowl at full intensity in time for the tournament.
A senior BCCI official, speaking to PTI, revealed that after five weeks of off-loading, Bumrah underwent rehabilitation under strength & conditioning trainer Rajnikanth and physio Thulasi at the NCA. While his scan reports appeared normal, NCA chief Nitin Patel refrained from declaring him match-fit, as he had not been tested in an actual game situation.
With Bumrah still not bowling at full tilt, the final decision rested with Ajit Agarkar, who opted not to take a risk with the star pacer. “If the medical team isn’t fully convinced, how can the selectors take that chance?” said a BCCI official. As a result, Harshit Rana has been named as Bumrah’s replacement, while Varun Chakaravarthy has also been added to the squad in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal
Bumrah’s Injury
Bumrah, underwent lower back surgery in 2022, suffered another stress-related injury during the Sydney Test against Australia. He had to leave the field after bowling 10 overs in the first innings. Following medical advice, he was given a month-long rest and was not available for the white-ball series against England.
Team India’s Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Additionally, the selection committee has named three non-traveling substitutes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube who will be available to join the squad in Dubai if required.
