“It’s been a long road, but body feels good and looking forward to play some cricket” - Jasprit Bumrah on much-awaited comeback from injury 

Team India lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah admitted that his road to recovery from a back injury has been a long one. However, he asserted that his body is feeling good, and is looking forward to playing again.

The right-arm pacer last represented India in a T20I in September 2022 against Australia in Hyderabad. He underwent back surgery in New Zealand in March, following which he began his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

The three-match T20I series in Ireland, which begins on Friday, will mark his comeback to international cricket. Sharing his thoughts on his much-awaited return, Bumrah said at a pre-series press conference:

“Sab theek hai. All good. Very happy to be back. Have been working very hard at the NCA. It’s been a long road, but body feels good and looking forward to play some cricket. Feeling good to be back. Need more game time. It will be good fun to play more games, so I am looking forward to it."

Elaborating on his journey towards comeback, the 29-year-old stated that he needed to give his body time to recover and once he did that, he started working towards regaining full fitness.

“Sometimes, things are not in your hands. Your body needs time to recover and you have to respect that. When you return after that, there is that hunger. Sometimes when you play continuous cricket, you don’t know what an off-season is like. During this phase, once my physical restrictions were over, I started working on my bowling, on my body’s strength level,” Bumrah said.

“I met some players after a long time and the vibe is really good. The players who have come in from West Indies are also confident. So feeling good,” he added.

The fast bowler will be leading a young side during the three-match T20I series in Ireland, which will also mark the return of Prasidh Krishna.

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“It’s not like I am holding back” - Bumrah on bowling in the nets

The fast bowler asserted that he is bowling full throttle in the nets and is not holding back.

When asked about his preparations, he replied:

“I am bowling normally. It’s not like I am holding back. I have had a few net sessions here. When why rehab got over, I went home and there I was practicing with the Gujarat team as well. There are no restrictions. The weather is better over here, so you enjoy bowling.”

On whether anything has changed in his bowling since the injury, Bumrah stated that things are pretty much the same.

“I am just the same guy. I have always had a lot of belief in my ability. Obviously, I understand that I am coming back after a long layoff, so you obviously want to work your way up and keep on getting better with each and every game and not being too unrealistic with what you want to do,” he explained.

Having made his debut in 2016, Bumrah has represented India in 30 Tests, 72 ODIs, and 60 T20Is.