Jasprit Bumrah officially ruled out of ICC T20 World Cup
In a huge blow to Team India, premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. The BCCI confirmed the news, stating that the decision was taken after consulting the specialists. Bumrah missed the first T20I against South Africa after he complained of back pain. He did not travel with the team due to this reason.
Here is the official statement
"The BCCI Medical team has ruled out Team India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad. The decision was taken following a detailed assessment and in consultation with the specialists. Bumrah, was initially ruled out from the ongoing Mastercard 3-match T20I series against South Africa due to a back injury," a media release from the BCCI read.
A look at the latest developments
Earlier this year, Bumrah suffered a back injury that ruled him out of the Asia Cup. However, he recovered in time for the Australia series. Bumrah was also included in India's squad for the T20 World Cup. The senior pacer missed the series opener before playing the rain-curtailed second T20I. Bumrah conceded 50 runs in the series decider.
Who will replace Bumrah?
The BCCI confirmed that a replacement for injured Bumrah will be announced soon. As per previous reports, Mohammed Shami or Deepak Chahar could replace Bumrah for the tournament. Shami was included in India's T20I squad for the Australia and South Africa series, however, he was ruled out after contracting the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, Deepak Chahar is faring well in the South Africa T20I series.
Bumrah has hardly played since IPL 2022
After the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, Bumrah has not played much. He featured in the rescheduled Test versus England. He also appeared in one T20I against England, claiming 2/10. This was followed by two ODI matches against England where he claimed 6/19 and 2/49. Bumrah made his return versus Australia, playing two T20Is, with his figures reading 1/23 and 0/50.
Bumrah's tryst with injuries
This is not the first instance of Bumrah reeling from an injury. Bumrah suffered a stress fracture on his back in 2019. The injury occurred right after India's tour of West Indies. Notably, Bumrah had claimed 13 wickets in the two fixtures. Following the injury, Bumrah endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines, missing home series against South Africa and Bangladesh, respectively.
A big blow to Indian pace attack
India's death-bowling woes have raised eyebrows of late. Now, with Bumrah set to miss the global event, India could suffer big time at the death. They have to turn towards Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel as primary options. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will need to find his rhythm as well. It remains to be seen how the Indian team management works on the area.
