India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was supposed to prove his fitness during the Ranji Trophy match between Gujarat and Kerala, did not feature in the Elite Group A game at Lalabhai Contractor Stadium in Surat on Thursday.
Bumrah, who has been out of action since September due to lower back injury, was on Monday named in the India squad for the home T20s and ODIs against Sri Lanka and Australia, respectively, next month and was expected to mark his return in the Ranji Trophy game for Gujarat.
However, according to media reports, Bumrah was a little concerned about his hectic comeback process and rather wished for a relatively smoother return. 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. It is now learnt that Bumrah will directly appear for the Sri Lanka series.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that Gujarat management did not agree to the national selection panel’s request to allow Bumrah to bowl just 4-8 overs a day, saying it wouldn’t be justifiable to allow the bowler such a concession.
Bumrah, who has become India’s go-to bowler in all three formats, last played for India during the Test series in West Indies. In the second game in Jamaica, he became only the third Indian to take a Test hat-trick after veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and pacer Irfan Pathan.
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