India will be playing against their World Test Championship final opponents Australia in their opening match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on October 8 in Chennai. Before playing in the marquee ICC event, Team India will be featuring in the Asia Cup 2023. The Rohit Sharma-led side has been missing out on the services of their ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, since September 2022 due to injury but there is a good news that he might make a comeback for Team India in the Asia Cup. Not only him, but also batter KL Rahul, who had sustained a knee injury during IPL 2023, is also likely to play in Asia Cup.
According to the report of Indian Express, Bumrah and Rahul will be available for selection for the Asia Cup set to be played in September, if there recovery goes according to the plan. It was also stated that batter Shreyas Iyar, who is recovering from his lower-back injury, is yet to recover and the selectors are looking at Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav as cover.
Earlier, news agency PTI had reported that Bumrah, who has last played for India during the home T20Is against Australia in September, 2022, bowled seven overs in a day at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) nets.
“For an injury of this nature, it is not wise to set any timeline as constant monitoring is necessary. But it can be said that Bumrah is recovering well and he has bowled seven overs at NCA nets. It is a steady increase in his workload from the light workouts and bowling sessions of the initial period. He will play a few practice matches (at NCA) next month, and there will be a close assessment of his fitness then,” a source tracking the development told PTI.
Ramji Srinivasan, former strength and conditioning coach of Team India, said extreme care should be taken while bringing back Bumrah.
“He should not be hurried. Playing practice matches at the NCA is a good step as it will help tune his body to the demands of a match. But he should be made to play in some actual (domestic) matches before bringing him to top level cricket,” Ramji told PTI.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who have also been recuperating at NCA, are also progressing as expected, though no specific timeline has been set for their return as well.
Rahul had undergone a thigh surgery in London while Shreyas too went under the knife in London after being troubled by a bulging disc on his lower back.
(With PTI Inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
