FAST bowler Jasprit Bumrah, recuperating from a back injury, is bowling with full intensity in the nets, India’s cricket board said last Friday (21), boosting his chances of playing in the ODI World Cup.
Bumrah, 29, has been out of action since September and had surgery in New Zealand in March.
Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, another fast bowler who is recovering from a stress fracture, are “both bowling at full intensity”, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.
“The two fast bowlers are in the final stages of their rehab and are bowling with full intensity in the nets,” the BCCI said in a press release.
The duo will now play some practice games where they will be assessed by BCCI experts. Known for his ability to bowl toecrushing full-length deliveries, Bumrah has claimed 319 wickets across all three international formats.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who had knee ligament surgery after surviving a car crash last December, is also making “significant progress”. Pant has “commenced batting as well as keeping in the nets”, the BCCI release said.
“He is currently following a fitness programme designed for him which includes strength, flexibility and running.”
Injured batsmen K.L. Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have also resumed batting in the nets and are currently undergoing strength and fitness drills.
India, currently on a tour of the West Indies, have a packed international calendar ahead.
They are slated to play a three-match T20I series in Ireland from August 18 to 23.
India will next play at the Asia Cup, to be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17.
