“Not focusing on the next four to five months; our objective is the next four to five years” – Before playing cricket again, Jasprit Bumrah is set to undergo a lengthy rehabilitation process.

There are serious doubts over Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness with the ODI World Cup starting in less than seven months. The renowned pacer is said to be recovering well from recent back surgery in New Zealand, but neither the BCCI nor his IPL team, the Mumbai Indians, are certain of when he might make a comeback to professional cricket.

The 29-year-old won’t hurry into a comeback at this time. The BCCI has previously stated that they do not want to jeopardize his career by forcing him back into the mix too soon; rather, they want to keep him healthy for the long term. The officials, however, have faith and optimism that the bowler will be available for the ODI World Cup, which is scheduled to start in October.

“Our target is the next four to five years; we are not thinking about the next four to five months. Regarding Bumrah, everyone is in agreement. Now, nobody wants to take a chance on him. Before the World Cup, he won’t be pushed for any of his matches. Right now, Bumrah has only that as her single objective. He will go through a lengthy rehabilitation process, but we are optimistic that he will be ready for the World Cup, according to a person closely following Bumrah’s progress.
Notably, the cricketer’s most recent international match was in September of last year. He has missed the Asia Cup, T20 World Cup, and most recently the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since that time. Also, he will miss the World Cup final, the forthcoming IPL, and some significant World Cup-related tours. Bumrah will therefore miss a lot of cricket in the near future, but the BCCI wants him to remain focused on his recovery and consider the big picture rather than becoming sidetracked by other ideas.

Who wouldn’t want Bumrah to represent India exclusively in cricket this year? Everyone does, but we must be realistic in our actions and behave in Bumrah’s and Indian cricket’s best interests. All we want is for him to focus solely on finishing the rehab without being sidetracked by anything else. The next cycle of WTC continues to be very important, and we have already entered a critical few years for Indian cricket,” said the person who is aware of the plans for Bumrah.