Happy to be back and couldn't have asked for anything more: Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah has had a torrid time with injuries since September 2022. Battling with a career-threatening back injury, a part of his body that is the most difficult to manage thanks to his bowling action, Bumrah first had to miss the T20 World Cup last year, and then, he was not even a part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. 

At one point, India was unsure if Bumrah could return for the ICC World Cup slated to take place in India a month later. However, the Gujarat pacer has put all of those doubts to rest with incisive bowling displays in the first two T20Is against Ireland. 

“Feeling good. Today, I could run in and bowl a little faster. Happy to be back and couldn't have asked for anything more,” Bumrah said in the post-match chat.

Rinku Singh and Prasidh Krishna made their T20 debuts in the Ireland series and have been successful in their pursuit. While Prasidh, who returned from a long-standing injury lay-off, returned with four wickets, Rinku played a solid 38-run innings in his debut innings to let go of the baggage that comes with international cricket. Bumrah, however, stated that not thinking “too much about expectations” is the key to success at the international level.

“It's sometimes difficult to pick a XI because all of them are confident, and all of them play well in the nets. As a captain, I couldn't ask for anything more. All of us had the same dream to play for India, and I don't think too much about expectations. If you play with that baggage, you're under pressure. You have to learn to manage the expectations and keep it on the side,” the stand-in Indian skipper added.