On Comeback Trail, Bumrah Will Need To Keep It Slow And Steady

With the ODI World Cup looming, India will hope that the ace pacer is fit and firing at the marquee event

- Vivek Krishnan

NEW DELHI: When Jasprit Bumrah takes the field for India in the first of three T20Is against Ireland in Dublin on Friday, he will end a 326-day wait. A wait that entailed the heartbreak of missing out on a T20 World Cup in Australia. A wait that entailed being included for an ODI series against Sri Lanka in January before realising he wasn't ready yet. A wait that entailed surgery on his back. And a wait that comprised months of uncertainty about whether he will ever conjure up the same magic again.

Having last played for the country on September 25, 2022, in a T20I against Australia, Bumrah will be back in the shortest format in a series devoid of context beyond assessing the ace pacer's readiness. He will also be leading the side in Ireland, having reportedly asked for the additional responsibility.

If Bumrah was anyway likely to be put under the microscope on return, the scrutiny will be that much more magnified given the proximity of the ODI World Cup. The marquee event begins on October 5 and the 29-year-old has three T20Is in Ireland, a maximum of six ODIS in the Asia Cup and three ODIS against Australia to prove he's capable of firing on all cylinders by the time India play their opening World Cup game against Australia in Chennai on October 8.

Bumrah has played a few practice games and done his bit of bowling at the nets in recent weeks, but how will his body cope with the demands of international cricket?