Watch: Jasprit Bumrah made a long-awaited comeback to the India nets and was back to his best, testing Ruturaj Gaikwad with a bouncer and yorking Yashasvi Jaiswal with rapid deliveries, ahead of India’s first T20I against Ireland on Friday (August 18).
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Bumrah last played for India in a T20I against Australia in September 2022, before being sidelined for an extended period due to a persistent back injury. Having missed the 2022 T20 World Cup, the Border Gavaskar Trophy, IPL 2023, the World Test Championship Final, and the West Indies tour, Bumrah has finally returned to the Indian team for the Ireland tour and his first footage from the nets indicates that he might be back to his best.
In a video shared by BCCI, Bumrah can be seen running full tilt in his trademark short run-up. The footage includes two deliveries, the first of which is a sharp bouncer aimed at Gaikwad’s head. Gaikwad gets rushed for pace and somehow manages to avoid the ball, taking evasive action.
The second one, a toe-crusher to Jaiswal, is bowled from over the wicket. Like Gaikwad, Jaiswal somehow manages to keep it out and save his boot.
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Bumrah’s return augurs well for the Indian team as they gear up for a home World Cup which starts in less than two months. But first, he’ll have to prove his fitness in the three-match T20I series against Ireland, where he has also been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the side.
Bumrah has played 60 T20Is so far and has picked 70 wickets at an average of 20.22. This series, however, will mark his first as a captain in the T20I format. He has led India in one Test match before, at Edgbaston last year.
The three T20Is will be played on August 18, 21, and 23 with all games being played at the Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin.
Watch Jasprit Bumrah spit fire at the Indian nets in a practice session ahead of the first T20I against Ireland:
The moment we have all been waiting for. @Jaspritbumrah93 like we have always known him. 🔥🔥 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/uyIzm2lcI9
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2023
