Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah might make it into India's Champions Trophy squad 'subject to fitness' after his selection was cast into serious doubts ever since he walked away during the final day of the Sydney Test earlier this month. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the injury that prevented Bumrah from bowling on the fifth day of the Sydney Test is stress-related.

Though the first round of scans did not reveal a stress fracture in the back, the report says that the discomfort Bumrah suffered in Sydney was related to his workload in the five Tests in Australia. He bowled 152 overs in nine innings, taking 32 wickets at an average of 13 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

On advice from medical experts, BCCI decided to permit Bumrah to rest for at least five weeks, i.e. till Sunday, February 9, after which he will undergo another test to determine if he can return to action.

If Bumrah is cleared of injury, his match fitness might be tested in the final ODI of the home series against England on February 12 in Ahmedabad. The deadline to submit the final Champions Trophy team to ICC is February 11, which makes it an almost touch-and-go situation for Bumrah.

As it stands, Bumrah might be named in India's 15-man team for the Champions Trophy that will be announced on Saturday, January 18, with an asterisk against his name, implying that his inclusion is subject to fitness.

There has been no official update on Bumrah's fitness ever since he didn't come out to bowl, due to back spasms, on the final day of the Sydney Test. There has been no word on whether he has visited the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where BCCI's medical wing is located.

India's Champions Trophy campaign begins on February 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai.

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