Bumrah bowls at NCA nets

BENGALURU: When is Jasprit Bumrah returning to the India team? Neither the injured pacer nor the ones working on him have a definitive answer to that.

But the good news is that Bumrah has bowled seven overs in a day at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) nets, a development that will bring smile to the India fans who are looking forward to the ODI World Cup with optimism.

Bumrah had undergone surgery for a recurring back niggle in New Zealand in March and has been on the recovery path since then. Bumrah last played for India during the home T20I series against Australia in September 2022.

So, will he be able to make a comeback during the T20I series against Ireland or in the Asia Cup?

“For an injury of this nature, it is not wise to set any timeline as constant monitoring is necessary. But it can be said that Bumrah is recovering well and he has bowled seven overs at the NCA nets. There will be a steady increase in his workload. He will play a few practice matches (at the NCA) next month,” a source tracking the development said on Tuesday.

Ramji Srinivasan, former strength and conditioning coach of Team India, said that extreme care should be taken while bringing back Bumrah. “He should not be hurried. He should be made to play in some actual (domestic) matches before his India comeback.” KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who have also been recuperating at the NCA, are also progressing as expected.