IND vs IRE: "Never Thought My Career Could Be Over" - Jasprit Bumrah Opens Up On "Dark Phase" Perception

The 29-year-old India National Cricket Team right-arm pacer Jasprit Bumrah has opened up on the perception of having a dark phase and battling the thoughts of his career being finished when he was recovering from a severe injury.

Bumrah will be seen playing competitive cricket for the first time on Friday, August 18, since September 2022. The premier pacer had suffered a back injury during his last series for India and since then he has been out of action, missing out on crucial events like T20 World Cup, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and ICC World Test Championship Final.

Speaking at a press conference, Jasprit Bumrah said that recovering from an injury can be frustrating but he took it positively and never thought that his career would be over or it is the dark phase of his life.

“When injury takes time to heal, it can be frustrating. Instead of having self doubt, I was thinking how to get fit and make a comeback. It is important to give the body time and respect. I never took it as a dark phase and thought my career could be over. I was looking for solutions and when solutions came I was feeling good,” Bumrah said a day ahead of India’s first T20I against Ireland.

“When you are facing an injury you are trying to solve that problem, not what the world is saying. I wanted to recuperate. You learn to enjoy the game a lot more. I looked it as an off season. So I got to spend time with family. So was looking at the positives. At the same time, I missed being away from action.”

The body needs time to recover and you need to respect that- Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah said that when the body needs a long period of time to heal properly, one can do nothing but respect it. He also revealed that he met players during his recovery which kept him in good spirits.

“I met a lot of players at NCA. Sometimes things are not in your control. The body needs time to recover and you need to respect, ” he said.

“When you come back you have the hunger. When you are playing continuous cricket you don’t know what an off season looks like. In this phase, as long as my physical restrictions were over I wanted to work on my fitness and bowling. I was following how the team was doing and (it) was good to meet the players.”

Jasprit Bumrah will be leading Team India on the Ireland tour, which consists of a three-match T20I series. The matches are scheduled to be held at the Malahide in Dublin on August 18, 20 and 23.