Jasprit Bumrah, the premier Indian pacer, underwent back surgery in New Zealand this month, but only former Indian cricketer and NCA chief VVS Laxman is privy to details about his recovery process. According to an Indian Express report, the BCCI has assigned Laxman as the sole representative to get regular updates from Bumrah. Even the selectors are uncertain about the extent of his injury and the surgery that followed.
Injury list of players for IPL 2023:
Ruled out:
Jhye Richardson – MI.
Rishabh Pant – DC.
Jonny Bairstow – PBKS.
Will Jacks – RCB.
Kyle Jamieson – CSK.
Prasidh Krishna – RR.
Jasprit Bumrah – MI.
— Sharma Rinku (@SharmaRinku16) March 24, 2023
BCCI source has also admitted that Bumrah was hurried back into the scheme of things in September 2022, with the T20 World Cup on the horizon. Bumrah has been out of competitive cricket since late September last year when he withdrew from the home T20Is against South Africa and subsequently missed the Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, as well as the Asia Cup, held last year in the UAE.
“Not many in the BCCI are aware of his injury. Only VVS Laxman (NCA director) has been assigned to speak to him and the physios. Even the selection committee has been told that they will be informed about Bumrah’s actual injury and his rehab details in due course,” a BCCI source told the newspaper.
Bumrah attempted a comeback in January this year for the ODI series against Sri Lanka but was withdrawn on the eve of the ODI series opener at Guwahati. The BCCI cited the need for him to build bowling resilience, calling the decision a precautionary measure.
“His back is in a fragile state right now. Besides, last time Bumrah’s return was hastened. Since he hadn’t fully recovered, he had discomfort while bowling on his return. This time, we are more conservative as a wrong call might even result in a career-threatening injury,” the source said.
The lack of transparency regarding Bumrah’s injury and recovery has raised questions about the NCA’s functioning. Other Indian pacers like Mukesh Choudhary and Prasidh Krishna are also injured, but there is no clarity on their status.