MUMBAI, India — In a significant blow to India’s prospects in the upcoming Champions Trophy, star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been sidelined due to a lower back injury. The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed late Tuesday that the 31-year-old player will be replaced by Harshit Rana for the tournament. The much-anticipated event, featuring eight teams, is set to commence on February 19, hosted by Pakistan, although India will conduct its matches in Dubai.
Bumrah’s injury occurred during the fifth Test in Sydney against Australia as part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which India lost last month. Despite his impressive performance, taking 32 wickets across five Tests, doctors have recommended that he take a complete break from bowling to recover properly. Although he was initially included in the squad for India’s third ODI against England in Ahmedabad, the decision was made to send him to Bengaluru for further assessments instead, leading to his eventual exclusion from the Champions Trophy.
With Bumrah out, the Indian team has brought in Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut in the current series against England. Alongside Rana, spinner Varun Chakravarthy has also been added to India’s 15-man squad for the tournament, while Yashasvi Jaiswal has been removed from the lineup. However, Jaiswal will remain with the team as part of the traveling reserves, along with pace bowler Mohammed Siraj and all-rounder Shivam Dube.
India has had a notable history in the Champions Trophy, having won the title in 2013 and finishing as runners-up to Pakistan in 2017, the last time the competition was held. As the tournament approaches, all eyes will be on how the team adapts to the loss of Bumrah, who has been a crucial asset to the Indian bowling lineup.
The finalized Indian squad for the Champions Trophy includes: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy.
