BCCI Confirms Star Pacer's Absence Due to Back Injury, Varun Chakaravarthy Replaces Yashasvi Jaiswal
Mumbai, February 12: In a major setback for Team India ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the tournament due to a lower back injury. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the news in an official statement on Tuesday, announcing Harshit Rana as his replacement.
"Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The Men's Selection Committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah's replacement," the statement read.
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 11, 2025
NEWS
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. Harshit Rana named replacement.
Other squad updates#TeamIndia | #ChampionsTrophy https://t.co/RML5I79gKL
Yashasvi Jaiswal Dropped, Varun Chakaravarthy Included
In another key change, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been dropped from the 15-member squad, with mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy taking his place.
"Team India has also named Varun Chakaravarthy in the squad. The spinner will replace Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was initially named in the provisional squad," BCCI added.
Jaiswal made his ODI debut in the three-match series against England but failed to make an impact, scoring just 15 runs off 22 balls in his first game. He was subsequently dropped from the playing XI in the second match, making way for Virat Kohli, while Chakaravarthy made his ODI debut and picked up 1/54 in 10 overs.
Bumrah’s Injury Woes Continue
Bumrah’s absence from the tournament adds to India's concerns in the bowling department. The pacer has been out of action since January, last playing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia in Sydney.
During the match, he bowled 10.1 overs in the first innings before experiencing discomfort and was later sent for scans. Australian doctors advised him to sit out the rest of the game. Though he came out to bat in the second innings, he did not bowl again.
India’s Champions Trophy Campaign Begins February 20
India will kick off its Champions Trophy 2025 campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai. The tournament, set to be played across Pakistan and Dubai, will see India in a hybrid model, playing all its matches in Dubai.
India’s Final Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
- 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
- Mohammed Shami
- Arshdeep Singh
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Varun Chakaravarthy
Non-Travelling Substitutes:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Mohammed Siraj
- Shivam Dube
These three players will travel to Dubai only if required.
With Bumrah missing and a reshuffled squad, Team India will have to rely on Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Shami to deliver with the ball in high-pressure matches. The competition promises to be a thrilling battle as India aims for another ICC title.
Last Updated on February 12, 2025 by Sandeep
