Jasprit Bumrah likely to be ruled out of T20 World Cup

 Just weeks after leaving for the T20 World Cup in Australia, Team India suffered a major setback when fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out for the tournament after complaining of back pain.

Bumrah missed the first T20I against South Africa on Wednesday and flew to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru a day later to monitor his back condition.

“We have been told that his injury is not well at the moment and it seems that he will not travel to Australia with the Indian team. The medical team will submit a detailed report soon,” a BCCI official confirmed to The Indian Express.

It is not yet clear whether Bumrah will undergo surgery or not as he also missed the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates last month due to a back injury.

This month, he was declared fit for the three T20I series at home against Australia and the second and third T20Is played in Nagpur and Hyderabad. His bowling figures were 1/23 in 2 overs in Nagpur and 0/50 in 4 overs in Hyderabad.

Indian bowling in the final overs of T20Is has been criticized for some time now. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel and Arsdeep Singh have all leaked runs, and Bumrah was expected to lead the team in the World Cup from October 16 to November 13. India’s first match is against Pakistan at the MCG on October 23. ,

In six T20 Internationals played in Australia, Bumrah took eight wickets at an economy rate of 8.08 and an average of 22.75. He made his T20 debut in Australia in January 2016.

The BCCI on Wednesday dropped Bumrah from the first T20I against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram. Jasprit Bumrah complained of back pain during India’s practice session on Tuesday. The BCCI medical team examined him.

If Bumrah is ruled out of the T20 World Cup altogether, the selection committee will have to pick either Mohammed Shami or Deepak Chahar, who have been included as standby players for the tournament.

However, Shami and Chahar are not known for their bowling in the final overs, with both leading the powerplay.

Shami was ruled out of the series against Australia and South Africa due to Kovid. He hasn’t played in T20Is for India since last year’s World Cup match against Afghanistan. However, he took 20 wickets in IPL 2022, the most for the title-winning Gujarat Titans.