Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is hopeful the team trump card Jasprit Bumrah plays before the ODI World Cup. Bumrah is currently out of action after he underwent back surgery in New Zealand. The gun fast bowler is doing his rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The BCCI has revealed that Bumrah is in the final stages of his rehab and is bowling with full intensity in the nets.

It has been reported that the Indian selection committee led by former fast bowler Ajit Agarkar wants Bumrah to first play in T20Is before he plays in the ODI format, where his workload will be more. Bumrah is expected to be included in India’s squad for the T20I series against Ireland. 

Bumrah last played for India in the T20I series against Australia in September 2022 and went on to miss the all-important T20 World Cup because of back trouble.

There is no doubt that Bumrah is going to hold the key for the Indian team in the ODI World Cup as he has all the experience. But there is no denying the fact that it will be a challenge for him to hit the ground running at the top level after being out of action for such a long time.

“The amount of experience he (Bumrah) brings is very important. Right now he’s coming from a serious injury and I’ve no idea if he’ll travel to Ireland because the team hasn’t been announced yet,” said Rohit in the pre-match press conference.

“If he gets to play then it’s good and we hope he plays before the World Cup. When a player returns from a serious injury, match fitness, match feeling are some key components, which are missing. We’ll see what has been planned and everything depends on his recovery. We are in constant touch with the NCA and things look positive at the moment.”

Bumrah has scalped 121 wickets in 72 ODI matches at an impressive average of 24.31. Furthermore, the ace pacer concedes his runs at an economy rate of 4.64.