India ODI squad: Bumrah in India’s Champions Trophy squad, Siraj misses cut 

Jasprit Bumrah has been named in India’s 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy despite concerns over his recovery from an injury sustained during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of the national selection committee, remains hopeful that the pace ace will recover in time for the tournament, which begins on February 19. Consequently, no backup has been named for Bumrah should he fail to be match-ready in time. 

He has been advised two weeks of off-loading by the BCCI’s medical team and will not feature in the T20Is and opening two ODIs against England. Bumrah’s availability for the final ODI against England in Ahmedabad on February 12 will be subject to his fitness. As a result, Harshit Rana has been added as a cover.

“With Bumrah, we are waiting to hear about his fitness and when he is likely to be available. So, Harshit Rana will be part of the one-day squad against England for now. At the moment, I don’t think he’s likely to be fit for the first couple of games, at least from what we gather,” Agarkar said on Saturday, adding that more updates on Bumrah’s fitness are expected over the coming weeks. 

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He did not reveal the exact nature of Bumrah’s injury, leaving it to the Board’s medical team to clarify. In Bumrah’s absence, Shubman Gill will serve as Rohit’s deputy for the ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy.

India also named Mohammed Shami in the squad for the ICC event. Having been out of international cricket since November 2023, Shami will return to action during the T20Is against England, beginning next week. 

Mohammed Siraj, however, missed out as the think tank preferred Arshdeep Singh for his expertise in death-over bowling.

Both Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that the decision to include only three seamers in the squad was taken after significant deliberation. “We discussed it at length and decided to take only three seamers because we wanted all the all-rounders with us. It’s unfortunate that Siraj has to miss out, but we had no option but to include players who can perform a specific role,” Rohit said.

“We have bowlers who can be effective with the new ball, in the middle overs, and at the death. With these three players, I think we can cover all aspects. Arshdeep hasn’t played many ODIs, but he has been around the white-ball circuit for a long time,” the captain added.

With Bumrah likely to undergo scans in the first week of February, India still has some time to assess his fitness. However, his absence would be a significant setback for the team. Bumrah was in exceptional form during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, taking 32 wickets across five matches at an average of 13.06 and earning the Player of the Series award. He also captained the team in the first and final Tests.

Contrary to reports suggesting a possible rift in the team, Rohit said that head coach Gautam Gambhir trusts him completely. “Both of us are very clear in what we want to do. I’m not going to sit here and discuss what goes behind every game tactically, but it’s very clear in my mind and Gautam Gambhir is somebody once we enter the field he trusts what the captain is doing on the field,” Rohit said.

“The basic talks that happen are only off the field, in the ground or maybe the changing room. But once we take the field it’s all about what I do on the field. That’s the kind of trust we have in each other and that’s how it should be. That’s about it…”

The squads