On Saturday, May 27, Mumbai Indians (MI) and India bowler Jasprit Bumrah hinted at a quick return after missing the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. The summit match between India and Australia is set to start on June 7 at Oval in London.
The speedster posted a photo of his bowling shoes, implying that he is ready to resume bowling after a long absence. The post was captioned by Jasprit:
“Hello friend, we meet again.”
During the second week of April, Jasprit underwent successful surgery on his lower back in New Zealand. After the procedure, the right-arm pacemaker was told to rest for six weeks, or until the end of May.
While supporters eagerly await his return to the ground, Bumrah has been unable to join the Indian squad since October 2022.
He first injured his lower back in August, ruling him out of the 2022 Asia Cup. Bumrah then played two T20Is against Australia in September, injuring his lower back again. He recently missed the full Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the Mumbai Indians (MI).
BCCI’s latest update on Jasprit, released on April 15, stated:
“Jasprit Bumrah underwent surgery in New Zealand on his lower back, which was successful and he remains pain-free. The fast bowler was advised by the specialist to start his rehab six weeks after the surgery and accordingly, Bumrah has commenced his rehab management at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru from Friday.”
“Huge loss” – Ricky Ponting gives his verdict on the absence of Jasprit Bumrah for the WTC final
Ricky Ponting, the two-time ODI World Cup winner, says Jasprit Bumrah’s absence will be a ‘huge loss’ for Team India in the World Test Championship final. He did, however, support Mohammed Shami in filling the vacuum left by Bumrah.
The Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach recently stated at an occasion in New Delhi:
Obviously they will miss [Jasprit] Bumrah, he’s going to be a huge loss for them, but they still have the likes of [Mohammed] Shami, who will actually bowl well in English conditions.”
India’s squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).
Standby players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.