Jasprit Bumrah‘s wait to get back to the cricket field might get longer, as the BCCI and NCA are making arrangements to fly him to New Zealand to undergo a surgery on his troublesome back. The good news is that Jofra Archer has gone through a successful surgery with the same Kiwi surgeon and India would hope for a similar success story with Bumrah. If surgery goes as per plan, he will be out of action for around 20-24 weeks which means he might miss IPL and WTC final if India qualify. This will be really tough for the pacer who has been out of action for five months now. It will be an anxious wait for team India till then but everyone would be praying for a speedy recovery of their star bowler!
On February 26, Cricbuzz first reported that world class bowler Jasprit Bumrah could face a long break from cricket, including being doubtful even for the Asia Cup in August-September. BCCI management is currently prioritizing readying the player for the World Cup set for October-November. For this purpose, renowned orthopedic surgeon Rowan Schouten in Christchurch has been chosen to operate over Bumrah. It is believed that Schouten’s name was suggested due to his past collaboration with notable Grahame Inglis who had operated on New Zealand players such as Shane Bond – Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach. This hints at an exceptional effort to ensure Bumrah remains at peak form ahead of the upcoming tournaments.
Schouten’s surgical skill has made him well-known in sports circles. He work with cricketing greats such as Inglis and top international players, like James Pattinson, Ben Dwarshuis and Jason Behrendorff. What truly stands out are his meticulous techniques, allowing professional cricketers to return from back issues that seemed irreparable. His arrival in the UK for Jofra Archer shows how much faith is shone in Schouten’s ability to correct the back issues of some of the world’s best athletes. It has even prompted Cricbuzz to reach out to the BCCI, NCA and Archer himself in relation to this treatment.
Umesh Yadav‘s selection in the Indian XI for the Indore Test was a strategic move by the team management. Rather than resting Shami, this choice gives Umesh much-needed preparation and confidence ahead of the WTC Final in June. Sources inside the team mentioned that they wanted to give him time on the field after a lengthy hiatus from Test cricket, helping to make up for some of Bumrah’s indispensability. The outcome of this game may yet determine whether or not this foresight was ultimately fruitful for India and their hopes for winning the WTC Final.
