Jasprit Bumrah will not be featuring in India’s 16-strong ODI side for the tour of England and has been omitted quietly by the BCCI, who had recently suffered back spasms during a Test match at Sydney against Australia. Since that time, doubt has been put over his recovery, but still, he was included initially in both ODI and the Champions Trophy playing XI.
When the team announcement was made on Monday, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had indicated that management was optimistic Bumrah would be fit for the third and final ODI against England. However, on Tuesday evening, even as the BCCI issued its statement confirming the addition of Varun Chakravarthy to the team, there wasn’t a word about Bumrah.
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The board has still not issued official statement for his absence, and the Champions Trophy is also just two weeks away. As per a report in the Times of India, Bumrah has already reached the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is likely to stay there for a few days. He will be back on the field only after he gets clearance from the NCA physios.
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Earlier this month, Agarkar did not commit to giving an update on Bumrah’s injury during the Champions Trophy squad announcement but did say that the fast bowler was told to “off-load for five weeks.” The Champions Trophy will be starting from February 19 and there is a big cloud of uncertainty looming whether Jasprit Bumrah is completely fit or not.
