Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri feels that the team management will know about Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness only when he starts playing matches for India. The 29-year-old will be leading the young Indian side in the three-match T20 series against Ireland starting today.
The right-arm pacer has not played any competitive cricket since September last year. His last appearance for Team India came during the T20I series against Australia before he was sidelined owing to a back injury and may very well be at his peak fitness when he returns to the Men in Blue for the Ireland series.
Speaking to Star Sports, Ravi Shastri said that the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah will be known once he starts bowling for the Indian team in the matches as the bowling in the nets would not give a fair idea about the fitness of a player and asserted that the captaining the side would help him to bring him at the right time in the bowling and praised for his immense contribution to the game in a short period.
“You will only know if he is fully fit when you see him playing in matches. That’s when you get a fair idea. No amount of bowling in the nets is going to tell you how fit a player is. There’s one thing called net fitness, and there’s one thing called match fitness. So these three games become very important for Jasprit.”
“He is captaining the side, so he will know exactly how to use himself there, and it will give you a fair idea. And to be fair, the whole world is waiting for him because he is one of those kind of bowlers who rose to the pinnacle so quickly with some brilliant performances,” Ravi Shastri said.
The pacer’s return to the Indian team for the Ireland series would be good news for the management, as the experience of Bumrah will be handy for the Indian team going into important events like the Asia Cup 2023 and the World Cup 2023 coming up.
Keep Sanju Samson On Standby In Case Something Happens – Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri urged to include all-rounders Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur in the 15-men squad for the ODI World Cup and keep Sanju Samson as the standby in the team and reckons that team needs four pacers in the side alongside star all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the squad.
“I think to be fair, I will go with both the all-rounders – Axar and Shardul, it gives me an opportunity. And keep Sanju Samson on standby in case something happens to the keeper there, where he can just fly out,” Ravi Shastri added.
India will be looking to end their long-awaited ICC title drought on home soil after winning the Champions Trophy in 2013 and Rohit Sharma-led side will be desperate to do well in the Indian conditions after failing to perform well in the ICC events.