Jasprit Bumrah To Test Fitness Ahead Of Champions Trophy, Set To Play 3rd ODI Against England : Report

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India's squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been announced, and a major concern leading up to the selection was the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah. He had suffered back spasms during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Although Bumrah has been included in the squad, there are lingering questions about his readiness for the tournament.

According to ESPN Cricinfo, Bumrah is expected to play the third ODI of the India-England series on February 12 at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. This match is seen as an opportunity for Bumrah to test his fitness ahead of the Champions Trophy. For the first two ODIs, Bumrah will not bowl, and Harshit Rana has been included as a backup pacer for the series.

Initially, there were fears that Bumrah's injury might be a stress fracture, which could have sidelined him for up to six months. However, reports confirmed that his injury was not a stress fracture, bringing relief to the Indian team and fans. To assess the extent of his recovery, The Times of India reports that Bumrah will undergo scans on February 2.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, addressing the media on Saturday, mentioned that Bumrah had been advised to refrain from bowling ("offload") for five weeks as part of his recovery process.

"I know he was asked to offload for five weeks of bowling, which is early first week of February if I'm not wrong. And we'll probably find out a bit more around that time what exactly and with regards to what his medical condition is. I'm sure BCCI might just put something out from the physio itself'', he said.

This means he could resume bowling in the first week of February. Agarkar also clarified that more definitive updates on Bumrah's fitness and medical condition would come from the BCCI's medical team closer to that time.

''It's better it comes from the medical department than me trying to explain what exactly is wrong with him. But that's the time frame that we've been told. And hopefully, he's okay after that'', he further added.