Jasprit Bumrah ‘may’ return to Team India for Ireland T20Is

In a positive for the Indian side, especially as the ODI World Cup draws closer, Jasprit Bumrah is ‘totally fit’ and ‘may’ be a part of the squad for the T20I series against Ireland next month. The mainstay of the Indian pace attack for quite some time now, Bumrah “is totally fit and he may go to Ireland,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah told the press in New Delhi on Friday.

“There will be consistency in selections apart from the Ireland tour,” he added, indicating that apart from Bumrah, none of the World Cup-bound senior players, including T20I captain Hardik Pandya will be selected for the tour.

Earlier in March, the 29-year-old fast bowler underwent surgery for lower back in New Zealand. He was in rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, from where he even shared a video of him bowling at full pelt earlier this month.

Bumrah’s last ODI was in 2022 and his last international appearance was against Australia in T20I last September. After that, he pulled out of the South Africa series at home and then missed all the cricketing action thereafter due to lower back trouble.

While Shah’s comments indicate his return, skipper Rohit Sharma seems to have little idea about his return.

Speaking at a presser in Bridgetown in the Caribbean ahead of the first ODI against West Indies, Rohit said, “The amount of experience he (Bumrah) brings is very important. Right now he’s coming from a serious injury and I’ve no idea if he’ll travel to Ireland because the team hasn’t been announced yet. If he gets to play then it’s good and we hope he plays before the World Cup. When a player returns from a serious injury, match fitness, match feel are some key components, which are missing.”

However, he also pointed towards improvement in Bumrah’s fitness.

“We’ll see what has been planned and everything depends on his recovery. We are in constant touch with the NCA and things look positive at the moment,” he said.