3 reasons why India must not risk Jasprit Bumrah for Champions Trophy 2025

As the build-up to the 2025 Champions Trophy gains heat, all eyes are on Team India and their 15-member squad for the tournament. While almost all the participating sides have finalized their roster, Indian fans are waiting with bated breath to see if ace Jasprit Bumrah makes the cut.

The 31-year-old enjoyed an incredible Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under with the ball, leading the chart with 32 wickets at an average of 13.06. Yet, with India needing one final push from their talisman, Bumrah suffered a back injury that kept him off the field for most of the final Test in Sydney.

With less than 40 days remaining before the start of the Champions Trophy, Bumrah is in a race against time to regain full fitness. The latest reports suggest that the pacer will report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for recovery.

However, as important as Bumrah is for India's chances of winning another ICC silverware, it might be important to ask if it is worth taking the risk of potentially rushing him back.

Considering that, here are three reasons why Team India must not risk picking Jasprit Bumrah for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah's long and dreaded injury history

Injuries have kept Bumrah on the sidelines several times in his career [Credit: Getty]

Jasprit Bumrah might be breaking records at will on the field, yet, a major portion of his incredible career has unfortunately been spent on the sidelines with injury. With a complicated action and a unique run-up that has often been Bumrah's strength comes the equalizer - frequent injuries and long recovery time.

Having debuted for India in Tests in 2018 and become their spearhead across formats, Bumrah suffered a freak thumb injury that saw him miss three weeks of action. His troubles with the back began in 2019 when a lower-back stress fracture relegated him to the sidelines for almost half a year.

An abdominal strain forced him to miss the final Test of India's famous 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win. Yet, a speedy recovery followed and Bumrah played relatively injury-free for the next year.

Just as he was picking up steam in his career, the injury gods struck again at possibly the worst time for himself and Indian cricket. Bumrah suffered a back spasm (similar to the ongoing injury) in August 2022, forcing him to miss the Asia Cup.

However, a rushed return in an attempt to be fit for the T20 World Cup later in the year ended with disaster. Bumrah played a couple of T20Is against Australia after four-week rehab but a reaggregation of the injury saw him miss extended time for a year with back surgery and rehabilitation.

The rush to have their champion pacer back proved costly and India must refrain from doing something similar. In the urge to have him play in the 2022 T20 World Cup, India jeopardized Bumrah for that tournament and the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final.

With a treasure like Bumrah, India must always think long-term and his longevity even if it means the ace pacer missing a key tournament like the Champions Trophy.

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#2 Reaggrevation of Bumrah's injury could leave the Indian Test side in flux

It's hard not to imagine the worst with Jasprit Bumrah's back injuries and the subsequent impact on the Indian side. Team India are coming off one of their worst stretches in Test cricket, losing six out of their last eight matches, including a 0-3 home series whitewash.

With current skipper Rohit Sharma's red-ball future in doubt, due to poor batting form and the team's dismal results, the next WTC cycle could be pivotal for an Indian team entering transition. Not only is Bumrah India's most valuable commodity in Tests but he is also almost assuredly their next captain in the longest format.

India's first assignment in the 2025-27 WTC cycle is a five-Test series in England, making Bumrah's presence as a bowler and possible captain a non-negotiable. Should the champion pacer be given adequate time for recovery from his latest injury setback, a return before the England tour is almost certain.

However, rushing Bumrah for the Champions Trophy could result in an unwanted ripple effect like 2022, forcing a longer road to recovery and a prolonged absence that could be a massive blow to the Test side.

Hence, the Indian team management must tread with caution in Bumrah's injury case, keeping the transition in Tests, Test captaincy, and the England tour in mind.

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#3 A Sydney-esque mid-tournament injury could spell doom to India's chances

Bumrah's untimely injury finished India's hopes in the recent Sydney Test against Australia - Source: Getty

The famous quote 'It’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish!' from American author Jin George must have kept echoing at the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bumrah inspired India to their lone win of the tour in the series opener at Perth and continued tormenting the Aussies batters even as several of his supporting cast struggled.

However, fitness once again deserted Bumrah at the finish line, costing India dearly in the series-deciding Sydney Test. With the speedster off the field for the final burst of the first innings and the entire second innings, India were left a bowler short at the most crucial time with the Sydney encounter hanging in the balance.

Ultimately, their lack of available pace-bowling options was exposed and the series was surrendered with a crushing defeat in Sydney. India can ill-afford something similar in the Champions Trophy, where Bumrah struggles with his fitness at the business end of the tournament or even worse, during a match in a virtual knockout competition.

With Mohammed Shami fully fit and back in the scheme of things and Arshdeep Singh's emergence in white-ball cricket, India will be better served to rest Bumrah for the 2025 Champions Trophy.