In what could rule him out of the Champions Trophy, India’s star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah arrived in Bengaluru on Sunday to get his injury assessed by the medical team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The 31-year-old pacer will undergo scans and testing at the National Cricket Academy.
Bumrah was part of India’s squad that was named for the multi-nation Champions Trophy, starting later this month. His participation, though, depends on the results of the tests being carried out at the NCA this week. An integral part of the Indian team, any adverse results will render the side without one of its lead pacers in the marquee ICC event.
The pacer will remain behind in Bengaluru for two-three days as the medical team at NCA keeps him under close monitoring. Thereafter, following a set of tests, a report will be given to the senior men’s selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar, and they would take a final call on Bumrah’s fitness and return.
Injury concerns of Bumrah have been a continuous thing. Recently, in a press conference held in Mumbai, Ajit Agarkar said that the bowler was told to rest for five weeks after the Sydney Test in January. He had thus been ruled out of the first two ODIs against England. His fitness is expected to be clear by early February as comprehensive reports on the status are going to be presented by the medical team of BCCI.
Bumrah has been adviced to off-load for five weeks after that and he won’t be available for the first couple of ODIs against England. We are waiting on his fitness and will know his status in early February from the medical team. We’ll probably find out a bit more around that time regarding his medical condition,” Agarkar said.
ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, 2025 will begin in Pakistan and the UAE from 19 February while India will start its campaign on 20 February against Bangladesh. The selectors will be hoping that his tests come clear or else a replacement will have to be announced well in advance as per rules to the International Cricket Council ahead of the deadline. Harshit Rana, part of the ODI squad in India for the series against England, could be summoned as a potential replacement for Bumrah.
