India skipper Rohit Sharma has said that he doesn’t want to rush Jasprit Bumrah back to action after his injury layoff. He is aware of the fact that Bumrah will most probably miss the first 2 test matches of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023 but he does not want the risk of playing him in the final 2 test matches either. However, he is hopeful that the ace pacer will be fit and will be available for selection in the final 2 test matches of the India vs Australia series.
Rohit gave this statement during a press conference after the 3rd ODI against New Zealand in Indore after taking India to the number 1 position in ICC Men’s ODI rankings. He stressed how difficult it is to recover from back injuries for fast bowlers and with the ICC ODI world cup scheduled a few months down the lane, he does not want to risk Bumrah. He also added that the team management is constantly in touch with the NCA doctors and physios regarding Bumrah’s fitness.
Jasprit Bumrah has been out with a back injury since Australia’s tour to India in September 2022. The pacer had missed the Asia Cup before that and the World T20 competition later. Bumrah only started bowling in December 2022 after a 6-week rehabilitation in NCA Bengaluru.
The BCCI had named Jasprit Bumrah in the original ODI squad against Sri Lanka at the start of 2023 but later withdrew his name moments before the 1st ODI in Guwahati citing “he needs time to build bowling resilience”. He was later not named in the white-ball series against New Zealand.
