As of Monday, Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been pulled out of the one-day international (ODI) series against Sri Lanka. Skipper Rohit Sharma was the one who announced the news.
The last time Jasprit Bumrah was seen in a game was a T20I against Australia, back in September 2022. On January 3, the BCCI had mailed that the NCA medical team had declared the pacer “fit” and he would join the team for the Lanka series. But the ace pacer was ruled out on the eve of the first ODI.
When interviewed about Bumrah, Rohit Sharma talked about how Bumrah had gotten too full health and was even training, but the bowler ended up feeling some stiffness in his back.
While Bumrah is not majorly injured, he was ruled out as a safety measure. Rohit had also stated how anything Bumrah said regarding his fitness was taken with caution.
According to a statement by the BCCI, “Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Bumrah, who was set to join the team in Guwahati ahead of the ODI series, will need some more time to build bowling resilience. This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure.”
In addition to their statement, the BCCI shared a Twitter post with a video. The video showed Rohit Sharma giving a statement on Bumrah’s fitness status to the press. The post has the caption “’Bumrah has been working very hard at NCA on his rehab.’”
‘Bumrah has been working very hard at NCA on his rehab.’#TeamIndia Captain @ImRo45 on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness status on the eve of the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka.#INDvSL @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/AWQqJTtHr0
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 9, 2023
When Bumrah sustained a lower back stress fracture after post England tour, he ended up missing the Twenty20 World Cup, where India lost to England in the semi-finals.
Bumrah is called “Yorker King” for his ability to bowl toe-crushing deliveries. Many considered his absence as one of the biggest reasons behind the team’s failure to go the distance in the World Cup and other matches. Some had even blamed the BCCI for rushing Bumrah back too quickly.
So far, there is no replacement for Bumrah named, but All-India Senior Selection Committee has confirmed that India will play their first ODI against Sri Lanka on 10th January in Guwahati. In addition, the BCCI has to confirm whether Bumrah has been ruled out of the entire 3-match series.
While Bumrah has been ruled out of the ODI series, regular captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli return to the ODI team. They will be preparing for this year’s 50-over World Cup at home.
When interviewed about the T20 Rohit said he has not given much thought to his T20 future in a year of the 50-over World Cup in India.
“It is a World Cup year for us. If you look at some players’ workload, we wanted to make sure that we give them enough break time and manage them and I definitely fall in that as well.”
He further stated that they will see what happens after the IPL (Indian Premier League) and that no decision has been made yet.
So far, it’s speculated that Bumrah will be unable to play the entire four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting in February, but he may play some games.