Former cricketer Ravi Shastri has stated that India should not rush pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s return from injury.
The 61-year-old added that India should not make the same mistake as Pakistan did with regards to pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
“That’s the concern, you want him [Bumrah] fit. He is such a world class operator but you want him fully fit. He is such an important cricketer, you think should we rush him for the World Cup. Then you do that and then lose him for four months after that. Much like Shaheen Afridi. Pakistan rushed him into that T20 World Cup and he has not played till just recently. He was out for four months,” Shastri told The Week.
“Thin line you draw about being greedy and wanting to play and the individual has to think about himself. Sometimes you want to go back to the field and it can be a costly error. It’s something you have got to look at. I think there is Shami and Siraj so there is experience.
“You don’t need too many fast bowlers in India. It is more the spin department. That is also covered with Jaddu [Jadeja], Axar, you’ve got a few leg spinners around like Chahal, Kuldeep, Bishnoi. So you have enough depth there.”
It must be noted that Afridi suffered a knee injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last year. However, he was rushed back for the T20 Cricket World Cup, four months later, but the pacer was injured once again in the final of the event against England. As a result, he was forced to spend another three months on the sidelines before returning for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight in February earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Bumrah has been injured since September last year, initially due to back problems and later for back surgery. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA in Bengaluru has made 70 percent recovery, according to Cricbuzz.
The Indian selectors are keen on including Bumrah in the squad for the Ireland T20I series in August in order to asses his recovery ahead of the World Cup on home soil in October-November this year.
- Jasprit Bumrah