The ace speedster made an encouraging return to park for India with figures of 2/24 in his team's triumph in the opening T20I versus Ireland.
Jasprit Bumrah reflected upon his much-awaited comeback to Indian colours on Friday (August 17), insisting he “didn’t feel I missed out a lot” of cricket as the body followed the mind without any hiccups from a lengthy 11-month break.
The ace speedster and stand-in India skipper took just one loosener to regain that steam and mojo in the first T20I in Dublin as he got Ireland opener Andrew Balbirnie out bowled of an inswinger on the second ball to restore sanity to the world for cricket lovers back home.
There has been no more anticipated comeback in the game in recent times. Bumrah’s return from a lower-back surgery was treated with waited breath and the cricketer, as usual, didn’t disappoint, showing the same level of execution and nous behind his deliveries as he did before.
At the death, when he had to stretch his back for the yorkers, was the only time Bumrah looked slightly undercooked. But an excellent 19th over put paid to those worries, too, and ignited hopes of him recovering well from the post-game strain and going on to dominate the Asia Cup and the World Cup.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, where he received ‘Player of the Match’ for his figures of 2/24 in India’s 2-run (DLS) victory in a rain-marred encounter, Bumrah said the extensive work put in during his rehabilitation programme at the NCA helped him consciously and subconsciously hit the strides immediately.
He also expressed a sense of delight of opening his T20I tenure as skipper with a win and guiding his young troops nicely throughout the first half, which saw Bumrah combine seamlessly with another comeback man Prasidh Krishna and spinners Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi to dominate the proceedings and restrict the Irish to 139/7.
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“Felt very good, so many sessions I did at the NCA, didn’t feel I missed out a lot or was doing something new. Credit to the staff, they kept me in good spirits. You are not thinking about yourself, you are thinking about others out there. Not really nervous but very happy,” Bumrah said.
“There was some swing upfront so we wanted to use it. Luckily we won the toss and it was coming out fine. There was some help due to the weather, so I was very happy. In every game, you would want more,” he added.
