With Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to a lower back injury, all eyes are now on Harshit Rana, who has been named as his replacement. The BCCI confirmed Bumrah’s exclusion late on Tuesday night, just before the deadline for final squad submissions.
Bumrah sustained his injury during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney, where he suffered back spasms and was later sent for scans. His absence leaves a major void in India’s pace attack, and the selectors have opted for young Harshit Rana over the experienced Mohammed Siraj.
Harshit Rana’s ODI Performance
Indian young pacer Harshit Rana made his ODI debut against England on February 6, 2025, where he picked up three wickets for 53 runs. This performance made him the first Indian bowler to take 3+ wickets in all international debut formats.
His T20I debut came in Pune, where he was a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube, taking three wickets for 33 runs. The substitution was controversial, as Dube and Rana were not ‘like for like’ replacements, sparking debates among fans.
Rana also made his Test debut last year in Perth during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he took three wickets for 48 runs. A standout moment in his career was when he bowled Travis Head, who has often troubled India with his aggressive batting.
Mohammed Siraj’s ODI Stats (2019-2024)
From the image provided, Siraj’s career ODI stats are as follows:
- Matches: 44
- Innings: 43
- Overs Bowled: 329.1
- Wickets: 71
- Best Bowling Figures: 6/21
- Bowling Average: 24.04
- Economy Rate: 5.18
- Strike Rate: 27.8
Performance vs Teams
- Australia: 8 wickets (Best: 3/29)
- Bangladesh: 8 wickets (Best: 3/32)
- England: 2 wickets (Best: 2/66)
- New Zealand: 7 wickets (Best: 4/46)
- Sri Lanka: 22 wickets (Best: 6/21)
Who is the better pick?
While Siraj has experience and consistent wicket-taking ability, Harshit Rana has shown promise with strong performances in all three formats on debut. His ability to handle pressure and his sharp pace makes him an exciting option for India’s Champions Trophy campaign. However, Siraj remains a key backup option, traveling as a non-playing reserve in case of injuries.
With India set to begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, all eyes will be on Harshit Rana to see if he can justify his selection over Siraj and deliver on the big stage.
India’s squad for ICC Champions Trophy, 2025: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Non Travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required.