3 players who can replace Jasprit Bumrah in India’s squad for Champions Trophy 2025

Jasprit Bumrah. (Source – Getty Images)

Jasprit Bumrah returned to the team during the Test series against Bangladesh in September 2024 but played just two Tests against New Zealand at home in October. Before he made his comeback, he did not play a single game for India since the T20 World Cup 2024 win in June. The team wanted to cut down his workload and provide him ample time for recovery before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 got underway in November.

The star India pacer has been a force to reckon with in the ongoing series against Australia as he has fiercely fought against the mighty Aussie batting line up. He has featured in all the five Tests and has bowled one of his marathon spells in the series. Subsequently, the right-arm pacer has felt a load on his body and underwent scans due to back spasms during the SCG Test on Saturday, January 4. This can potentially cast a shadow on Bumrah’s Champions Trophy 2025 prospects if he incurs another back injury which has haunted him in the past as well.

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Here are three potential replacements if Bumrah gets injured ahead of Champions Trophy:

3. Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar has been a prospect for a long time now. The right-arm pacer is one of the few newbies who has been tried and tested in all three formats by the Indian team. He has predominantly played T20Is for India while also playing only six ODIs and three Tests. Speaking of his performance in white-ball cricket, he has picked 20 wickets in 17 T20Is.

He has claimed five wickets in six ODIs at a worrisome average of 43.40. But the silver lining would be his economy rate in the 50-over format which stands at 5.56. Moreover, the right-arm medium pacer’s depleting pace has also been a concern but he came handy for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 during death overs.

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2. Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed flew to West Indies and USA along with team India for T20 World Cup 2024 as a travelling reserve. He was inducted after his impressive performance for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024, where he claimed some early breakthroughs for the team in the powerplay. He has always been looked as a white-ball player by the Indian team management and has played 11 ODIs and 18 T20Is for the Men in Blue.

He is one of the few left arm-pacers that India have managed to nurture over the years. In 18 T20Is, he has claimed 16 wickets at an average of 35.12 and an economy rate of 8.52. Speaking of his performance in the 50-over format, he has claimed 15 wickets in 11 games at an average of 31 and a decent economy rate of 5.81.

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1. Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna has played all three formats for the Indian team. His height and high release point has been the drawing factor for selectors to stick with the right-arm pacer. When Hardik Pandya was injured midway in World Cup 2023, Prasidh was roped in as his replacement but could not feature in the playing XI due to Mohammed Shami’s presence.

Before venturing into Tests, the 28-year-old holds the stats of having played 17 ODIs for India. He has managed to pick 29 wickets at an impressive average of 25.58 and an economy rate of 5.60. He last represented the Indian team in the blues when Australia remained in India after the World Cup 2023 win for the T20I series. He played two matches in the series and picked three wickets.

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