Toby Marshall
Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian pacer, has successfully undergone surgery in New Zealand for his persistent back issues, which caused him to miss almost six months of international cricket. The 29-year-old star player missed the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in Australia last year due to this recurring back injury. His last appearance for Rohit Sharma’s Team India was in September 2022.
Unfortunately, he will also miss the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League scheduled for April-May this year. Bumrah is expected to take six months to recover from the surgery and is likely to miss the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup. He is in a race against time to make it to the home World Cup later this year.
The news agency PTI reported that the orthopaedic surgeon Dr Rowan Schouten successfully conducted Bumrah’s surgery in Christchurch. The Indian pacer has been undergoing rehabilitation for a long time to address the stress reaction in his lower back. Due to the recurring back injury, Bumrah was not included in India’s squad for the Asia Cup last year.
Before the T20 World Cup, Bumrah returned to the Indian squad for the home series against Australia and South Africa. He played in the T20Is against Australia but was later ruled out of the series due to a back injury. After missing the T20 World Cup and South Africa series, Bumrah was selected for the Sri Lanka series. However, his name was removed from the squad after he suffered a back niggle.
Bumrah’s recurring back issue has been troubling him for some time now and has kept him sidelined for months. The six-month recovery period means he will not be part of this year’s Asia Cup, which will be played in the One-Day format. If the recovery process goes as planned, it is expected that Jasprit Bumrah will make a comeback in the ODI World Cup held in India in October-November.
The fitness issues have seen Bumrah miss out on several big tournaments, including the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup last year, and the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India. He will also sit out the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, and if India qualifies, he will miss the final of the ICC World Test Championship to be played in June. The Indian team management did not rush his comeback, considering the ODI World Cup later in the year.
In other news, Mumbai Indians (MI) may face a tough start to the IPL 2023 season as one of their star pacers, Jhye Richardson, the Australian speedster, is likely to be out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. This will no doubt affect the IPL betting on the Indians team in the early stages.
The injury is another setback for MI, who are already struggling with pace-bowling options due to Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, as he is set to undergo back surgery. Richardson, who was bought by the five-time champions at his base price of INR 1.5 crore, may be sidelined for an extended period, making him an unlikely candidate to represent MI in IPL 2023.
The report by ESPNCricinfo revealed that Richardson had not played any game since January 4, when he strained his hamstring during the Big Bash League (BBL). Although he recently returned to competitive cricket, playing a 50-over game for his club Fremantle, the injury and recovery may sideline him for another extended period.
In the 65th match of IPL 2023, Royal Challengers Bangalore secured an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad. RCB successfully chased down a target of 187 runs, reaching the target in 19.2 overs. Leading the charge was Virat Kohli, who played a scintillating innings of 100 runs off 63 balls.
Injuries are a cruel part of any game, they destroy careers and they can hamper the momentum of any side. At times it can be just at the wrong time, as in Shaheen Shah Afridi getting injured late in the most crucial game of his cricketing journey. For others, it can be a long haul of patience and regret as they see their side underperforming while not being able to help.
