IND vs ENG: Jasprit Bumrah Likely to Miss England Series Amid Back Injury Concerns

India's star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is expected to miss most of the limited overs series against England in the home series which is to take place in the end of this month and early February. As reported by PTI, Bumrah experienced back cramps in the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia which was played recently.

This has been attributed to Bumrah’s heavy workload in the Test series, wherein he bowled more than 150 overs and picked up 32 wickets due to which he suffered from back issue. He was India’s standout performer in the series and played an important role for his side throughout the series.

The time required for Bumrah’s recovery depends on the specific nature of his injury:

India is all set to host England for a five match T20I series and a three match ODI series which will begin on 22nd January. The focus for 2025 is still very much on ODIs especially with the Champions Trophy scheduled in February. It was expected that Bumrah would miss the T20Is to be able to play in the ODIs but with his injury, he might not be able to play the whole of the white-ball series as well.

According to the reports, Bumrah was initially planned to play at least two ODIs but will now play only if he recovers soon. The white-ball series will kick off with the 1st T20 match on the 22nd of January at Kolkata and the rest of the matches will be played on the 25th and 28th of January. The last two T20Is will be played on 31st of January and 2nd of February. ODIs will start on 6th February in Nagpur and the following matches will be played in Cuttack on 9th February and in Ahmedabad on 12th February.

Then India’s attention will be shifted to the Champions Trophy which will begin on the 19th of February. The team’s first match is scheduled for 20th February against Bangladesh. It is going to be very important for the team management to keep an eye on Bumrah’s fitness for the tournament.