Jasprit Bumrah, India’s top paceman, is expected to miss the ICC T20 World Cup due to a back stress fracture, according to news agency PTI, citing BCCI sources.
This might be a significant setback to India’s ambitions of doing well at the event in Australia.
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India has officially not clarified the situation, Bumrah’s withdrawal from India’s series opener against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday has not been encouraging.
Just minutes before the toss at Greenfield Stadium, BCCI received word of Bumrah’s injury. As India practiced on Tuesday, Jasprit Bumrah reported having back trouble.
The BCCI Medical Team examined him. As a result, he will not play in the first T20I, the BCCI tweeted.
The final two T20Is against Australia were played by Bumrah, who also missed the Asia Cup because of a back issue and was practicing at the National Cricket Academy.
“Bumrah won’t participate in the World T20; that is certain. This is because he has a severe back problem. In addition, he may be out for six months due to a stress fracture. A top BCCI official informed PTI on the condition of anonymity.
READ MORE: British runner Mo Farah will not run London Marathon
For the T20 World Cup, India has players like Mohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar on the standby list; one of them may now be called up to the starting lineup.
Chahar had a strong performance in the match against South Africa and may be chosen over Shami because his more excellent batting abilities are lower in the order.
Captain Rohit Sharma has acknowledged that India’s death bowling has been a problem. Due to his dismal performances, veteran paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been under criticism, and with Bumrah’s absence, the youthful Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel will be under pressure to produce.
Bumrah, who participated in the second and third Twenty20 matches against Australia, did not travel to Thiruvananthapuram with the squad for the series’ first game against South Africa.
Following Ravindra Jadeja, the 28-year-old fast bowler recuperating from knee surgery is the second senior star player to be ruled out.
The current state of the Indian squad is uncertain, and Bumrah’s injury has only made matters worse for captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid.
READ MORE: Cameron Norrie Beats Kaichi Uchida To Reach Quarter-final Of Korea Open
“It would be devastating for India to lose Bumrah and Jadeja. However, we weren’t anticipating how things would turn out. He received extra rest for the Asia Cup to help him manage his workload. However, the senior official added that it’s unclear whether he was well enough to participate in the Australia series.
Several veteran players have had enough rest, taking into account their effort.
What is more intriguing is that excluding his IPL games for the Mumbai Indians, Bumrah has only participated in five Tests, five ODIs, and the same number of T20Is in 2022.
“Considering he was rested for the Asia Cup, the West Indies trip, and part of the bilateral cricket played in India, that’s not a lot of cricket. That much rest is a lot. He is now at the NCA, and his rehabilitation will be complex and protracted. Although the World T20 is significant, he is still young and India’s best bowler. With him, you can’t take a chance, the official stated.
Stress fractures in the back do not need surgery, but they take a long time to heal.
When loading, Bumrah’s slinging motion exerts a lot of strain on his back. Michael Holding, a former West Indies fast bowling team star, determined that Bumrah was prone to back ailments.
