In a major blow to Team India, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss group stage matches of Champions Trophy 2025 due to swelling in the back. According to Indian Express report, Bumrah has been asked to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru where his recovery will be monitored.
As per the report the BCCI has sought an extension to name the 15 man squad for the marquee event as the board are sure whether to name Bumrah in the 15-man roster or take him to UAE as one of the reserves since he is expected to be fit before the Champions Trophy knockouts begin.
Bumrah’s fitness a major headache
A BCCI source, speaking to the publication said, “He (Bumrah) will be going to NCA for his rehabilitation. The initial report says he doesn’t have a fracture but has swelling on his back. So the NCA will monitor his recovery and he will be there for three weeks. But even after that, he will have to play a match or two, even if they are practice games organised to check his match fitness,”.
Bumrah was over bowled during the Border Gavaskar Series as India desperately needed wickets to be the game. However the 32 wickets in the series by Bmrah came at a cost as he not only suffered back spasm but did not nbowl during the second innings of the final test.
This is not the first time that Bumrah had trouble with his fitness. The 1 year old has had issues with his back earlier too. He missed nearly 11 months of cricket from September 2022 to August 2023 after undergoing a surgery. He made a comeback at a T20 match against Ireland.
Team India’s Champions Trophy Schedule
India will play Bangladesh on February 20 and Pakistan on February 23. The last group match will be against New Zealand on March 2. India will play all their matches in Dubai, as the team refused to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns and the ICC agreed to a hybrid model.
