Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which begins in Nagpur on Thursday. The fast bowler wasn’t included in the 17-member squad for the first two Test matches because of a recurring back problem.
Bumrah has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore under the supervision of Nitin Patel, the head of sports science wing and the final authority on a player’s fitness clearance.
It has been decided not to risk him in a World Cup years since he may not be able to cope with the workload of a Test match. With the emphasis on spin for the Test series, Bumrah will be given more time to recover.
A call on whether he will play the ODI series, which follows the four Tests, will be taken next week. The first ODI is in Mumbai on March 17. Sources told The Telegraph that Bumrah has been undergoing full-tilt bowling sessions at the NCA for the past few days and has pulled up well. There has been no stiffness the following day, which is the most encouraging part for him.
Bumrah has also been bowling with the white ball at the NCA which is a fair indication that there is no chance of his being tried out during the Test series vs Australia. The pacer has been on the sidelines since September last year because of a stress reaction in his back. He resumed training in November and started bowling a month later at the NCA.
He was slated to play the ODIs against Sri Lanka last month but renewed stiffness in his back forced him to undergo further rehabilitation. He was withdrawn on the eve of the opener in Guwahati.
There is a very low bounce on the wicket even on the first day of the match, and it is expected to get worse as the match goes on. The opening duo of Usman Khawaja and David Warner was back in the pavilion after just 2.1 overs. Mohammed Siraj took the wicket of Khawaja, whereas Warner’s wicket went cartwheeling against Shami.
The pitch is easiest to bat in the first innings, and it will only get tougher. If Australia want to do well, they will aim to set a respectable total in the 1st innings. It will be interesting to see when the Indian team will unleash their spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Axar Patel.
Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are leading the pace attack of the Indian team in the 1st Test in Nagpur, and the duo of Jaydev Unadkat (He is missing the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Karnataka) and Umesh Yadav is sitting on the bench. However, the team is missing the services of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah is out of action since September last year. The ace Indian pacer missed the Asia Cup 2022, but he was back in the home T20I series against Australia where the played the 2nd and the 3rd T20I. However, he got injured yet again and missed the T20 World Cup as well due to a stress back fracture.
Bumrah was included in the ODI squad against Sri Lanka last month, but he was omitted from the squad just ahead of the series. He is currently training in the NCA under the supervision of Nitin Patel (Head of the Sports Science Wing). It has been said that Bumrah is bowling at full throttle, but he is unlikely to be involved in the Test series against Australia.