Sourav Ganguly Helps Jasprit Bumrah Skip Mandatory Ranji Trophy Game
Published - 25 Dec 2019, 12:52 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:02 AM
After a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Jasprit Bumrah is finally set to return to action for India. The India pace spearhead has not played a competitive game since the Test series in West Indies in August. He was a part of the squad for the series against South Africa but was later ruled out due to a back injury. Jasprit Bumrah was recently named in the T20I and ODI squads for the series against Sri Lanka and Australia respectively.
With the tough series against New Zealand looming, India will be hoping that Jasprit Bumrah hits the ground running. The right-arm pacer has done extremely well in his short Test career so far, having picked up five-wicket hauls in South Africa, England, Australia and West Indies already. India’s fortunes in New Zealand will depend a lot on how Jasprit Bumrah performs.
Sourav Ganguly to Jasprit Bumrah’s rescue:
As per the rules, Jasprit Bumrah needed to prove his fitness by playing a first-class game. Former India coach Anil Kumble had introduced this rule and thus Bumrah had to play in the Ranji Trophy. He was supposed to prove his fitness during the Ranji Trophy match between Gujarat and Kerala, which started on Thursday at Lalabhai Contractor Stadium in Surat.
However, Jasprit Bumrah decided against it as he was a little concerned about his hectic comeback process. According to media reports, the pacer wanted a relatively smoother return to action. Thus, the 26-year-old also raised the same concerns with BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
Ganguly and Shah suggested Bumrah to focus on white-ball cricket as of now and allowed him an extended break, as they pulled him out of the Ranji game. According to India Today, Bumrah will now directly appear for the Sri Lanka series.
