The chairman of selectors for the BCCI, Ajit Agarkar, along with head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, faced a challenging decision. Nitin Patel, the chief medical officer of the National Cricket Academy, who had previously served as a physician for Team India, reportedly withheld a clean bill of health for Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the Champions Trophy, despite the pacer's unblemished medical reports. The NCA had previously faced significant criticism for hastily returning Bumrah to play before the T20 World Cup in 2022, and they were keen to avoid any further accountability.

A senior BCCI official informed the PTI news agency that the NCA had delegated the decision regarding Jasprit Bumrah to the selection committee. Their report indicated no medical issues but noted that Bumrah's workload had not been assessed.

The responsibility now rested with Agarkar. As a former Indian pacer, he has emerged as a highly influential chief selector in recent times. He reportedly convened an urgent meeting with captain Rohit and coach Gambhir. The trio met shortly after Team India arrived in Ahmedabad for the third and final ODI against England to determine Bumrah's status.

According to PTI, during their discussions in Ahmedabad, Agarkar, Gambhir, and Sharma considered whether to include an unfit Bumrah for the Champions Trophy or to opt for the less experienced Harshit Rana. Ultimately, they chose to proceed with Rana, who had recently debuted against England and had made a positive impression with his pace, bounce, and variation.

"The stakes are exceedingly high, and it would have been a significant embarrassment if Bumrah had sustained an injury during a match. The NCA, under Nitin Patel's leadership, had previously faced repercussions in 2022 when they rushed Bumrah back for a bilateral series against Australia prior to the T20 World Cup, resulting in a year-long absence due to injury.

"This situation was under the previous committee led by Chetan Sharma, and Agarkar was determined not to take any risks."

It is acknowledged that the primary issue at hand was Bumrah's inability to bowl at full capacity, with experts indicating that achieving match fitness in such a limited timeframe poses significant challenges.

Agarkar, Gambhir, and Rohit concluded that it would be more advantageous to include a fully fit fast bowler rather than risk the uncertainties associated with a partially fit Bumrah. They aimed to avoid a repeat of the Hardik Pandya scenario from the 2023 ODI World Cup, where the team was constrained to a specific lineup due to the all-rounder's injury. Furthermore, India cannot afford a prolonged injury to Bumrah, who is poised to succeed Rohit Sharma as the Test captain.

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