Former India captain and head coach, Ravi Shastri fired a stern warning to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) and its selectors when it came to including right-arm fast bowler Jaspirt Bumrah in the scheme of things once again. Bumrah, who hasn't played cricket since September last year and underwent back surgery, has been battling with a long tryst with injuries. Shastri reckons any urgency to rush Bumrah back into Team India can have grave repercussions.
"He (Bumrah) is a very important cricketer. But if you rush him for the World Cup then you might lose him for four months later on, much like Shaheen Afridi. So there's a thin line and it needs to be thought about," Shastri told The Week in an interview.
Bumrah might return to international duty by the Ireland series in August according to a report by a leading cricket news website.
Before the Ireland series, India will be travelling to the Caribbean for two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is against the West Indies. The T20Is are scheduled from August 3 to 13, with the team then travelling to Ireland, with games on August 18, 20 and 23, is being targeted by the Indian team's management.
The idea is to bring him back on track in time for the ODI World Cup in October-November via the Asia Cup in September.
Pestered by the recurring back injury, Bumrah has been sidelined which has cost India big time in the mega events including the recent WTC final which they lost by 209 runs. Bumrah's absence has hurt India not just in the WTC final but also in last year's Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.
Since September 2022 Bumrah hasn't played a single match due to his back issues. However, he was rushed into action in the series against Australia after missing the Asia Cup, with T20 World Cup in the offing, but the decision only backfired as his injury aggravated which ruled him out of big series including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and the WTC final. Bumrah was also ruled out of the just concluded IPL 2023.
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