Jasprit Bumrah is in the process of recovering from the back spasms he sustained during the second innings of the Sydney Test in early January. The speedster has resumed bowling at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where he is gradually increasing his bowling workload under the supervision of BCCI’s fitness experts, according to Hindustan Times
The Selection Dilemma
The Indian selectors find themselves in a difficult situation as they balance Bumrah’s unmatched skills for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy starting on February 19 with the need to safeguard his long-term fitness. The key challenge is whether to include Bumrah in the final squad without testing his back in a competitive match. The deadline to announce the squad is Tuesday midnight, after which a replacement player would require ICC technical team approval.
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Bumrah’s Progress and Fitness Tests
The bowling load on Bumrah is increasing since he underwent scans for his back in Bengaluru. He started to bowl two overs at a time and then moved on three and now its upto four overs. Despite the progress it stilll remains uncretain whether he will be fully fit or not and a trial practice match for Champions Trophy before the team goes to Dubai is likely to start from February 15.
What’s Next For Bumrah?
When Bumrah was initially named in the provisional squad by Ajit Agarkar’s selection committee, it was indicated that he would be given five weeks of rest and would miss the first two ODIs against England. It is now likely that Bumrah will miss the third ODI as well. Now his participation in Champions Trophy will only be decided based on his fitness.
