The National Cricket Academy’s sports science and medicine team is keeping no stone unturned to get Jasprit Bumrah back on the park ahead of the ODI World Cup but one can’t say with certainty that he will be fully fit for next month’s three-match T20-series against Ireland. Even if the India pace spearhead goes to Ireland for the series beginning August 18, it is unlikely that the Gujarat speedster would play all three games, which will be held with a day’s gap between each other.
Bumrah, 29, is recovering after a surgery to treat lower back stress fracture. While the target is ODI comeback looking at the global event, the people in charge of overseeing Bumrah’s ‘RTP’ or ‘Return To Play’ would want him to go through the paces starting with four-over spells.
However, it could be confirmed with some degree of certainty that the national selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar hasn’t yet got a green light from physios and doctors that the Mumbai Indians man will be fit and available for the short Irish sojourn.
“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 told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The squad for Ireland T20Is is likely to be announced few days later, giving Bumrah full chance at recovery.
“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.
“The selectors won’t just see bowling fitness, they would also take into account if he is in a position to field in humid conditions in Sri Lanka during the Asia Cup. He might need to do a lot of work in the deep. So it is not just about 7-8 overs of bowling in the nets.”
There has been reports that Bumrah has been bowling around 7 to 8 overs at the NCA but, unlike some of the other injured players, who have posted short videos of their return to skills training (batting bowling) on their social media handles, Bumrah has remained very guarded.
On Tuesday, there were a few still photographs of his bowling at the NCA but no videos, like one Shreyas Iyer posted of his batting and KL Rahul’s knocking sessions.
The last video that Bumrah posted of his bowling full throttle was on December 16, 2022 at the NCA, when he was doing his previous rehab after missing the T20 World Cup.
Subsequently, he was named in the home series but had to pull out after not feeling hundred percent and was sent for a back surgery in New Zealand.
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