Premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah is likely to remain part of the Champions Trophy squad as he is all set to begin his rehabilitation process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru after having undergone an assessment by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team.
Bumrah had injured his back early last month during the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Sydney.
According to a report in Times of India, the reports of Bumrah’s scans were discussed internally, and the 31-year-old will now begin his rehabilitation in the next day or two, which will comprise “some gym work, even light bowling.”
“Even if there is a 1% chance, the BCCI is likely to wait. They did the same with Hardik Pandya as they waited for close to two weeks before getting Prasidh Krishna as a replacement. Yes those two incidents happened during the campaign but approach with Bumrah could well be no different. This is just the deadline to submit the squad and they could approach the Event Technical Committee at a later stage to seek a replacement if he fails to regain fitness,” a source close to developments told the newspaper.
India is set to begin their Champions Trophy Journey on February 19, including a well-rounded pace attack comprising Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami, with Hardik Pandya offering support as an all-rounder. A fit-again Bumrah would further enhance the team’s bowling firepower, providing India with a formidable lineup for the marquee event.
