Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of India’s three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka out of prudence, but it might not be enough to force the pacer to compete in the whole Border-Gavaskar Trophy encounter against Australia.
As per a report by ESPNCricinfo, Bumrah is unlikely to play in the whole limited-overs series against New Zealand and at least the first few Test matches against Australia. Bumrah forced to withdraw from the Sri Lanka ODIs on the eve of the series opener in Guwahati after the right-arm seamer reported soreness in his back. This happened exactly one month prior to the first of the four Test matches against Australia beginning on February 9 in Nagpur.
Bumrah’s inclusion in the ODI team for the Sri Lanka series was already a last-minute decision. After receiving the all-clear from the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where Bumrah has been receiving his rehabilitation for a while, the selectors immediately picked him into the lineup. But just as things seemed to be going Bumrah and India’s way, the bowler experienced some back pain during a match simulation training.
What will be Jasprit Bumrah’s priorities in 2023?
India’s chances to play the WTC final depends on how the team perform in Australia’s home series, if they managed to win the four match series by 3-1, then the India side will definitely play the final in June. But if they managed to end the series at 2-2. Then they have to wait and watch the results of the Sri Lanka versus New Zealand test, the inaugural edition champions are nowhere near the competition for the Indian side, but the neighbours may be a thread in case India finished at 2-2.
What happened to Jasprit Bumrah?
On the first day, the 29-year-old fast bowler passed the match simulation, but as the load rose the next day, he complained of back pain. With the Australia Tests, Asia Cup, and ODI World Cup in mind, the team management made the quick decision to remove him from the ODI squad.
The choice to expedite Bumrah’s return last year proved disastrous, keeping him out of the T20 World Cup, so the physios and support staff are extra cautious this time around. After a protracted injury break, Bumrah played just a few T20Is against Australia in September before injuring his back once more.
However, if things go according to plan, the best Bumrah can manage is the final two Tests against Australia in Dharamshala and Ahmedabad in March.
According to the report the speedster needs three more weeks’ time before he starts bowling routinely, which makes him out of couple of the test matches against Australia. But the big question is will he play the IPL?
The IPL 2023 will start during the last week of March and lasts till May end.
