The timeline for Jasprit Bumrah’s recovery and return to the Indian cricket team has been shrouded in mystery, leaving fans and experts guessing about his availability. However, recent updates have brought delight and anticipation as Bumrah’s comeback seems to be on the horizon. Despite conflicting reports, the latest indications suggest that Bumrah could potentially return during the upcoming Asia Cup in September.
Subsequent updates revealed that Bumrah was bowling 7 overs a day at the NCA and was even set to play practice games, although his full comeback was still some way off. The most recent revelation came from Ravichandran Ashwin, who hinted at Bumrah’s involvement in the India-Pakistan match during the Asia Cup.
Speaking about the highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan, Ashwin expressed his excitement, mentioning Bumrah as a positive update for Team India. Ashwin’s comments raised hopes among Indian cricket fans, as Bumrah’s presence would significantly bolster the team’s bowling attack. The absence of Bumrah in previous India-Pakistan encounters, including two T20Is during the Asia Cup and one at the T20 World Cup, had been felt, making his potential return all the more exciting.
“The last few games between India and Pakistan in the ICC events have been extraordinary. We can expect another blockbuster India-Pakistan game,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“It will be a very equally-balanced game because Pakistan also has a quality seam attack. For India, we expect all these guys to fit in Bumrah, maybe even Prasidh. I don’t know what the combination will look like, but a great contest on hand.” Ashwin expressed.
Ashwin also shed light on the venue and its characteristics. Drawing from previous experiences during the IPL and ODIs, he highlighted the swinging conditions during the second innings of matches and the preferences of certain players at the stadium.
“The game I want to discuss is against Pakistan at Ahmedabad on October 15. Of course, it’s going to be a sell-out. 130000 will be the capacity audience at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Even in the 2011 World Cup, Ahmedabad had happy memories at Ahmedabad. The same venue was the Motera Stadium back then, where he played our quarter-final against Australia and beat them. We qualified for the semifinal against Pakistan and went on to win that World Cup,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin mentioned Shubman Gill’s affinity for the ground, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya’s bowling successes, and Prasidh Krishna’s strong performance in an ODI against the West Indies. He acknowledged the unique challenges Ahmedabad presents regarding the toss factor and the presence of dew.
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“But from the Narendra Modi Stadium, we have some learning lessons from this year’s IPL and some ODIs at this venue. From IPL, we know that this is Shubman Gill’s home venue, and he loves batting there. So he is going to relish the game. The ball swung During the IPL, especially during the second innings. Both Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya have enjoyed bowling here. Even Prasidh enjoyed bowling here during an ODI against West Indies. We defended 240-odd, I think, and ended up winning that game. So there has been a bit of lift and carry during the night. We are playing against Pakistan, so I don’t know how to weigh the toss factor here. We can bowl first in other venues due to the dew, but Ahmedabad is more of a catch-22 situation.” Ashwin further added.
