Jasprit Bumrah likely to make India comeback in T20I series against Ireland in August: Report

Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah will in all likelihood return to competitive cricket during the three-match T20I series against Ireland in August, News18 CricketNext reported on Sunday. Bumrah has been out of action since September last year due to a back injury. He last played in a home T20I against Australia on 25 September. Bumrah underwent a back surgery in March and began a six-week rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in April. As a result, Bumrah missed the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as Indi’s World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, which Rohit Sharma and Co lost by 209 runs. “Jasprit Bumrah is looking very good for the Ireland series in August this year. It will be a big boost to the Indian cricket team and will also allow Bumrah time in the middle after the long injury lay-off. If everything stays on course, a Bumrah at peak fitness is likely to take field,” a senior board official told News18 CricketNext. Should Bumrah play the T20Is against Ireland, that will give him game time ahead of the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup later this year. NCA chief VVS Laxman and Nitin Patel, of Head Sports Science and Medicine department, have kept a keen eye on Bumrah’s road to regaining full fitness. Nitin has previously been the head physio of both the Indian cricket team and Mumbai Indians (MI). S Rajnikanth, a physio of the NCA, has previously helped Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer regain full fitness, and is now working with Bumrah in a bid to achieve the same. “Nitin Patel and Rajnikanth have been working very closely with Bumrah and keeping him on track during the rehab period at the NCA. Both are very experienced and don’t want to take any chance with Bumrah in what is a very crucial white-ball year and also the start of the new World Test Championship cycle,” added the source. Bumrah was initially part of India’s squad to face Sri Lanka during a home series in January, but his recurring back injury forced him out of the same. Mumbai Indians, too, were patient as far as Bumrah’s longevity is concerned and never planned to rush him back to action. “Everyone understands the importance of Bumrah in any team. May it be the Indian team or the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. With previous attempts of having him back being unsuccessful, everyone was happy to play the waiting game and allow the seamer to regain full fitness before he turns up for India again,” a source close to the developments told News18 CricketNext. India’s next assignment is a full-fledged tour of West Indies in July. In the Caribbean, India will play two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook_,_  Twitter and  Instagram