Jasprit Bumrah’s injury appears to be more serious than it initially appeared and he could be out for a longer period than expected. As it stands now, the India spearhead is seriously doubtful for the Indian Premier League (IPL), set to commence in just about a month’s time and run in April and May. There is even a possibility that he will not be fit for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in the UK in June, should India qualify.
Sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL circles have indicated that Bumrah, out of international action for almost five months, has not been feeling comfortable and he is staring at a potentially long hiatus.
According to sources, the target for the Indian team is to get him ready for the World Cup in October-November, if not necessarily for the Asia Cup, wherever it is held.
Bumrah last played for the country in a T20I against Australia, on September 25 last year and CricAdvisor recently reported that he was not cleared by the National Cricket Academy authorities in Bengaluru for the three ODIs against Australia in March. But the latest information is things have not exactly panned out as planned and the NCA is not going to rush him into action in a hurry.
Initially it was thought that it was not all that bad if Bumrah returned to take part in the IPL as he would be bowling only four overs in a game and the original plan was for him to handle the workload slowly and an IPL return suited the plans.
But now it will take longer and last heard, the managements of the BCCI, the NCA and the Indian team are chalking out a meticulously planned programme for his return.
