Champions Trophy 2025: When Reports Were 'Ok' Then Why BCCI Dropped Jasprit Bumrah?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ended speculation on speedster Jasprit Bumrah's participation in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. The pacer has been dropped from the squad participating in the prestigious tournament following back injury.

Harshit Rana has been chosen as Bumrah's replacement for the tournament starting on February 19 in Pakistan and UAE. India will face Bangladesh in their opening match on February 20 in Dubai.

The selection committee also decided to include Varun Chakaravarthy, a mystery spinner, replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal from the provisional squad.

All matches for India will be played in Dubai under a hybrid model agreement. Bumrah had previously undergone back surgery in 2022 and sustained another injury during the final Test against Australia in Sydney.

Why Jasprit Bumrah Has Been Dropped When His Reports Were OK?

Bumrah was advised to rest for five weeks before undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA with trainer Rajnikanth and physio Thulasi. A report from NCA head Nitin Patel indicated that while Bumrah completed rehabilitation and scans were satisfactory, it was uncertain if he would be fit to bowl by the tournament's start. "Nitin left the ball in Ajit's (chief selector Agarkar) court," said a BCCI source anonymously.

The decision not to risk selecting an unfit player was made during discussions between chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and captain Rohit Sharma in Ahmedabad. The possibility of taking an unfit Bumrah or opting for Rana was debated. "The stakes are too high," said an official, referring to past experiences where Bumrah broke down during a series against Australia before the T20 World Cup.

Team Composition and Strategic Choices

Varun Chakravarthy's inclusion marks him as one of two players recommended by Gambhir for this squad, alongside Harshit Rana. Both players are part of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal missed out on a spot due to Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill opening the innings. Jaiswal remains among non-travelling reserves with Shivam Dube and Mohammed Siraj.

Chakravarthy has shown success in T20Is and made his ODI debut based on his T20 performance. His selection aligns with Gambhir's preferences as head coach.

The team includes key players like 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.