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In a huge blow to Team India, premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament, co-hosted by Pakistan and the UAE, was expected to feature Bumrah as a key figure in India’s bowling attack. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Tuesday (February 11) that the star pacer will miss the tournament due to a lower back injury.
The emergence of Jasprit Bumrah’s injury
Bumrah’s injury concerns surfaced during India’s recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Australia. Leading India in the final Test at Sydney, he had to leave the field on Day 2 due to discomfort in his back and did not bowl for the remainder of the match. The selectors initially included him in the squad for the third ODI against England, subject to fitness clearance, but his recovery has taken longer than expected, forcing him out of the Champions Trophy.
Young pacer replaces Bumrah in India’s squad
India have named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement for the Champions Trophy. The 22-year-old fast bowler made his international debut in November 2024 during the Border-Gavaskar series and has since played two Tests, as many ODIs, and one T20I. Notably, Rana is the first Indian cricketer to take three wickets on debut across all three formats, making him a promising addition to the squad.
Varun Chakaravarthy earns a spot
Apart from Bumrah’s replacement, India’s selectors have also made another change, bringing in spinner Varun Chakaravarthy in place of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Varun was impressive in the recent T20I series against England, where he emerged as the highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps in five matches. His performances earned him a last-minute call-up for the ODI series as well, where he made his debut in the second game, registering figures of 1/54.
With these squad updates, Jaiswal now moves to the non-traveling reserve list alongside Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. These three players will remain on standby and travel to Dubai only if required by the team during the tournament.
Also READ: Muttiah Muralitharan names 2 key players for India’s Champions Trophy 2025 success
India to begin campaign against Bangladesh
Notably, Team India will kick off their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, followed by a high-voltage clash against Pakistan on February 23. Their final Group A match will be against New Zealand on March 2, with all three fixtures set to be played in Dubai.
Updated India Squad for 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, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
