India to remain without Jasprit Bumrah for Champions Trophy group stage

The fate that has evaded India's fortunes for the last few months seems to be lingering longer than the team would have wished. There exists no rock to live under where an ICT fan wouldn't know how big an asset Jasprit Bumrah has emerged to be for India. However, the team relied entirely too much on the sole asset during the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy. The extensive workload Bumrah carried across the five Tests down under has cast doubt on his availability for the ICC Champions Trophy. The ace seamer, who claimed 31 wickets and was named Player of the Series despite India losing the BGT 1-3, faced the consequences of his workload by the end of the tournament. Bumrah, who captained the side in the Sydney Test, suffered a back spasm during the match. The latest injury update now indicates that the 31-year-old might miss the entirety of the Champions Trophy group stage.

Bumrah doubtful for the Champions Trophy group stage matches

Jasprit Bumrah was unable to bowl in the final innings of the Sydney Test, the last fixture of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, due to a back spasm. Upon his return, attention shifted to team selection for the white-ball series against England at home and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Naturally, Bumrah remains central to India's plan for the marquee event. However, latest reports suggest that Jasprit Bumrah may miss the group-stage matches of Champions Trophy due to injury concerns. The fast bowler is said to be currently dealing with swelling in his back. Further in the report it has been explained that Bumrah has been instructed to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for assessment.

The BCCI selection committee, which convened in Mumbai on Saturday to finalize the T20I squad for the upcoming home series against England, received an update on Bumrah's condition. Notably, India has requested an extension to announce their Champions Trophy squad, even though the ICC's deadline for submitting the provisional list is Sunday, January 12. The report highlights that selectors are deliberating whether to include the 31-year-old pacer in the 15-member squad or list him among the reserves. While BCCI is expected to submit a provisional squad soon, the ICC permits changes to the list until February 12. The selectors are likely to wait and monitor Bumrah's recovery progress before making a final decision closer to the tournament.

A BCCI source informed the publication that Bumrah is anticipated to regain full fitness by early March. However, India's group-stage fixtures will conclude on March 2 in Dubai, potentially ruling him out of the initial matches. The Champions Trophy is set to begin on February 19 in Pakistan, with India's campaign opening against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Stadium. This will be followed by a highly anticipated clash against Pakistan on February 23, also in Dubai, and their final group-stage game against New Zealand.

“He (Bumrah) will be going to NCA for his rehabilitation. The initial report says he doesn’t have a fracture but has swelling on his back. So the NCA will monitor his recovery and he will be there for three weeks. But even after that, he will have to play a match or two, even if they are practice games organised to check his match fitness,” the BCCI source revealed.