India has suffered a significant setback ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy as star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out due to an ongoing back issue. Despite recent scans in Bengaluru showing no severe concerns, Bumrah is not yet fit to resume bowling, and there is no confirmed timeline for his return. His recovery will continue under the supervision of the BCCI’s medical team.
This marks the second ICC tournament Bumrah will miss due to injury, having also been sidelined for the 2022 T20 World Cup.
In his absence, Harshit Rana has been named as his replacement. Rana, who recently made his ODI debut against England, was initially included as Bumrah’s backup in the squad. The selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, opted for Rana over experienced pacer Mohammed Siraj, citing his potential impact with the new ball.
Varun Chakravarthy Replaces Yashasvi Jaiswal
Meanwhile, the BCCI has also made another change to the squad, bringing in spinner Varun Chakravarthy in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Captain Rohit Sharma had earlier hinted at Varun’s selection, praising his unique skills. Jaiswal, along with Siraj and Shivam Dube, will be part of the non-traveling reserves.
India’s Final Squad for the ICC Champions Trophy
- Captain: Rohit Sharma
- Vice-Captain: Shubman Gill
- Players: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy
- Non-traveling reserves: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Shivam Dube
The ICC Champions Trophy is set to commence on February 19 in Pakistan.
