"Now I become Bumrah. The restorer of fans hopes" - Fans erupt in joy as Jasprit Bumrah picks up 2 wickets on comeback in 1st India vs Ireland T20I

Ace Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah made his much-awaited return to international cricket on Friday, August 18, in the first T20I against Ireland. He is leading the Indian side on this tour. Bumrah has spent almost a year on the sidelines due to a back injury, which also forced him to miss the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Jasprit Bumrah underwent surgery for the injury issue and then finished his rehabilitation at the NCA over the past few months and got himself ready for a comeback. With major tournaments like Asia Cup and ODI World Cup coming up shortly, selectors wanted Bumrah to go to Ireland to prove his match fitness.

In his first international match after 11 months, Jasprit Bumrah mesmerized everyone by picking up two wickets in the very first over of the contest. He cleaned up Irish opener Andrew Balbirnie off the second ball and then dismissed Lorcan Tucker two balls later to give his side a great start.

He also led the side well by making decent calls on the field as captain as Team India restricted Ireland to 139/7 in 20 overs. Ravi Bishnoi (2/23) and Prasidh Krishna (2/32) supported the captain in the bowling department.

Fans were elated after witnessing Jasprit Bumrah in action after a long time. They expressed their reactions through Twitter. Here are some of the best ones:

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"I respect people’s opinion, but good or bad, I don’t take them seriously" - Jasprit Bumrah

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first T20I against Ireland, India captain Bumrah opened up about his journey during the past year while he was doing his rehabilitation. The Indian pace spearhead revealed that he does respect people's opinions but does not take them seriously and let them bother him.

Bumrah said:

“I respect people’s opinion, but good or bad, I don’t take them seriously. I don’t want to put the baggage of expectation on myself. Neither do I have unrealistic expectations from myself regarding the load I have to carry. I have never been away from cricket so long. I want to enjoy the game."

"Other people’s expectations are their problem. My job to enjoy the game, prepare best and put my best foot forward. I am doing that and, hopefully, everything will take care of itself,” he added.