Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo Source: Instagram)
Jasprit Bumrah is leaving no stone unturned for his quick return to the national set-up. Notably, the 29-year-old suffered a back injury and missed plenty of action, including the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup, T20 World Cup and also the World Test Championship final in 2023. His absence has hurt India’s performance in all three tournaments and the team management desperately wants Bumrah to remain fit for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Currently, the plan for him is to play against Ireland but the cricketer is yet to receive a green signal from National Cricket Academy (NCA) physios. The spearhead is bowling on a regular basis but there are certain doubts regarding his fitness as the physios aren’t quite sure if he can bowl a spell of four overs at the moment. However, more clarity is expected ahead of the series against Ireland but it is widely believed that even if Bumrah travels with the squad, the cricketer may not play all three T20Is of the series.
“There used to be an unwritten rule that if someone’s coming back from a long lay-off due to an injury, he needs to play some domestic cricket to prove his fitness. I guess NCA and selection committee has made an exemption for him since he is not a part of West Zone squad for Deodhar Trophy games. Also, it means that, till now, he is not match ready or else he would have played one Deodhar game,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
The BCCI source has also confirmed that the NCA physios will update the Indian selectors regarding Bumrah’s fitness ahead of the Ireland series. If the cricketer is fit enough to play 20-over and 50-over games, he will be added to the squad, else the committee may extend his time at the NCA.
“Before the Ireland selection meeting, the NCA physio will update Agarkar and Co with fitness report of all the players. If physio’s report states that Bumrah, apart from bowling four overs, will also be able to field 16 overs and subsequently 40 overs (in ODIs) with full intensity, he will be selected. As per latest information, the panel hasn’t received a green light from them,” the source added.