Mumbai: Team India has faced a significant setback ahead of the Champions Trophy, as star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the tournament due to a lower back injury. Harshit Rana has been appointed as his replacement.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a statement on Tuesday night confirming Bumrah's withdrawal from the tournament.
"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 statement read.
Additionally, there has been a notable change in India's 15-member squad, with young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal being dropped and mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy taking his place.
"Team India have also included Varun Chakaravarthy in the squad. The spinner will replace Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was initially part of the provisional squad," the statement further noted.
Bumrah has not participated in any matches since January, with his last appearance being in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia in Sydney. After bowling 10.1 overs in the first innings, he showed signs of discomfort and underwent scans. Australian medical staff advised him against continuing in the remainder of the Sydney Test. Although he batted in the second innings, he did not resume his bowling duties.
Jaiswal's exclusion follows his ODI debut in the opening match of the three-match series against England. He was initially included in the provisional squad, while Chakaravarthy was not selected.
During his ODI debut, the young left-handed batsman struggled, scoring only 15 runs off 22 balls. In the second ODI, he was replaced in the playing XI by Virat Kohli, allowing Chakaravarthy to make his ODI debut, where he recorded figures of 1/54 in his 10 overs.
India's campaign in the Champions Trophy is set to commence on February 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai.
The squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 includes: 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, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Non-traveling substitutes are Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube, who will be available to travel to Dubai as needed.
