Jasprit Bumrah set to miss last 2 Tests of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023: Reports

Team India lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which began in Nagpur on Thursday, February 9.

The Indian fast bowler was not named in the squad for the first two Tests against Australia as he was still recuperating from his back problem. He has been working on getting back in shape at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.

A few days back, it was reported that Bumrah had started bowling in the NCA nets and that he could make a comeback for the last two Tests against Australia if all goes well.

According to a report in The Telegraph, the Indian think tank has decided not to risk him in a Test series since the ODI World Cup is to be played later in the year. Instead, Bumrah could take some more time off to recover from his injury woes.

The report added that the decision on whether the fast bowler would feature in the one-day series against Australia, which will be played after the Tests, will be taken next week. The India-Australia ODI series will be held from March 17 to 22.

The Telegraph quoted sources as saying:

“Bumrah has been undergoing full-tilt bowling sessions at the NCA for the past few days and has pulled up well. There has been no stiffness the following day, which is the most encouraging part for him.”

The report further stated that the 29-year-old has been bowling with the white ball at the NCA, which is a pretty good indication that he isn’t being considered for the last two Tests of the home series against Australia.

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When did Jasprit Bumrah last play for India?

The Indian pace spearhead has been troubled by injuries over the last few months. Bumrah has not played a game for India since the T20I against Australia in Hyderabad on September 25, 2022.

He was initially named in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia but was subsequently ruled out and replaced by Mohammed Shami.

The right-arm pacer was named in the Indian squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka last month. However, after he complained of stiffness in his back, the BCCI decided to pull him out of the series as a precautionary measure.

India’s pace spearhead across the three formats of the game, Bumrah has played 30 Tests, 72 ODIs, and 60 T20I so far.