In the end the national selectors and team management preferred long-term gains over short-term risks.

Jasprit Bumrah had to be left out of the Champions Trophy squad after the think-tank decided to scrap the idea of carrying the pacer only for the knockout stages. To include a fast bowler who hasn’t even started bowling at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, as part of his rehabilitation process, had its own perils.

Concerns have already been raised over his availability for the IPL, which begins on March 21. The BCCI’s medical team remains confident though his workload is expected to be monitored closely. This fresh injury will also spark a captaincy debate in Tests in the post-Rohit Sharma era.

Bumrah is the Test vice-captain and has led whenever Rohit hasn’t been available or decided to stay away, like the final Test in Sydney last month.

Can Bumrah remain injury-free for a long tour considering he is the undisputed star across all formats? Will he remain fit enough to survive the rigours of a five-Test series?

Bumrah had back issues earlier too and missed nearly 11 months of cricket, including IPL 2023, after undergoing surgery in New Zealand. Perhaps the England tour in June will provide a sneak peek into such questions.

The selectors knew only a miracle could make it possible for Bumrah to play the Champions Trophy and hence decided to keep Harshit Rana ready. Rana’s selection ahead of the experienced Mohammed Siraj has raised a storm though there is no doubt that the youngster did prove his potential in white-ball cricket.

The composition of the 15-member squad can’t escape close scrutiny, especially the selectors’ decision to include five spinners and three quicks. The conditions in Dubai — where India will play all their matches — at this time of the year favour lateral movement and how far the spinners will be effective, especially with the dew setting in, is a matter of conjecture.

The statistics are revealing — in 58 ODIs since 2009 in Dubai, pacers have taken 466 wickets while spinners scalped 344 wickets.

Three of the spinners are all-rounders which provides stability to the side besides the presence of Hardik Pandya. But will they attain as much success as they do in subcontinent conditions?

The inclusion of ‘mystery’ spinner Varun Chakravarthy has also sparked talk about the team management’s lack of faith in Kuldeep Yadav since it came at the expense of the highly talented Yashasvi Jaiswal. Can Varun carry his T20 form into the 50-over format?

Young Jaiswal had initially been preferred over Shreyas Iyer in the opening ODI against England but Virat Kohli’s knee trouble opened a window of opportunity for the middle-order batter. Shreyas’ 59 off 36 balls, however, shut the door on Jaiswal.

With Rohit finding his lost touch in Cuttack and Kohli displaying a semblance of form on Wednesday, Shreyas’ presence will give stability though KL Rahul’s position needs to be sorted out to avoid unnecessary stumbles. Whether Rishabh Pant will get a look-in during the tournament is a matter of much speculation.

The selectors know that success in the Champions Trophy will depend largely on the batters. If Rohit and Shubman Gill, along with Kohli, can replicate their 2023 World Cup form, a lot of things will fall into place.

The squad in several ways reflect the muddled thinking of the think-tank and unless the results favour them, they could run the risk of incurring the wrath of the powers-that-be in Indian cricket.