Chandigarh, 12 January 2025: India is keeping a close watch on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness ahead of the Champions Trophy, as the fast bowler has been ruled out of the upcoming T20 series against England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed his absence on Saturday, although it did not specify the details of his injury or a timeline for his return.
Bumrah, 31, was sidelined after suffering back spasms during the final match of the Test series against Australia. His omission from the 15-man squad raised questions, especially considering his significant role in India’s past performances. The fast bowler, India’s top wicket-taker in their recent tour of Australia, was forced out of the Sydney Test midway but had to miss this series, with no explicit reason provided by the BCCI regarding his exclusion from the T20 setup.
While the team remains confident, Bumrah’s absence from the five-match series is not expected to affect India’s chances in the short term. However, his recovery is critical for India’s preparation leading up to the ICC Champions Trophy, set to take place next month in Pakistan and Dubai.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Shami makes his return to the squad after more than a year away following an ankle injury and surgery post-World Cup 2023. The 34-year-old has missed all of India’s international fixtures this year, but he returned to domestic cricket in October and has been closely monitored by the national team’s medical staff. “Shami’s return will add much-needed depth to our fast bowling attack,” said a BCCI official.
In other squad news, Axar Patel has been named India’s vice-captain for the first time. Suryakumar Yadav, continuing his leadership role, will captain the team in the absence of regular stars like Rishabh Pant, who remains out of India’s T20 plans following his last appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Sanju Samson, Pant’s replacement, will continue as both an opening batter and first-choice wicketkeeper.
The T20 series kicks off on January 22 in India, with matches concluding by February 12, followed by a three-match ODI series against England.
The full squad for the T20 series includes: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper).
