Jasprit Bumrah Undergoes Back Surgery In New Zealand: Report

Jasprit Bumrah has reportedly undergone back surgery in New Zealand, as he races against time to get fit for the ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be held at home from October-November this year.

Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has undergone back surgery in New Zealand, as he races against time to get fit for the ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be held at home from October-November this year. As per ESPNCricinfo, the surgery was done on Monday. The pacer is expected to stay in New Zealand till March-end. As per his roadmap for return, designed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical staff, he will resume bowling and training by August. His workload will be increased gradually to get him fit for the marquee cricketing event.

Bumrah has not played any competitive cricket since September last year when he pulled out of the white-ball series against South Africa at home. His withdrawal from the series was due to a stress reaction in his lower back. He attempted a comeback in January during the white-ball home series against Sri Lanka, but niggles in the back did not let it happen either.

The latest update is that he is ruled out of the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the final of the ICC World Test Championship starting from June 7, for which India will qualify if they win the final Test against Australia starting from March 9 onwards.

BCCI medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru had been treating his case urgently and had suggested the pacer to undergo surgery. The decision to get the surgery done was taken by BCCI in coordination with the pacer and NCA.

It has been a frustrating wait for Bumrah, who has attempted to make a comeback more than once since suffering a back injury in August which ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Initially, the injury did not seem serious as he was named in India’s T20 World Cup squad in September and even played the last two T20Is against Australia on September 23 and 25.

Three days later, Bumrah did not play the first T20I against South Africa and it was learnt that he was taken for scans, which revealed a stress-related injury in his back. He was rushed to NCA and the scans there confirmed that the injury was serious. It ruled him out of the T20 World Cup, in which India achieved a semifinal finish.

Bumrah resumed his rehab in November and started to bowl in mid-December. His progress seemed to be positive as he was added to the white-ball series played in January more than a week after the original squad was picked up.

Bumrah had performed the match simulation exercises in the NCA, but discomfort resurfaced while taking up higher workloads during fitness drills in January. Scans revealed the development of a fresh niggle, which ruled him out of the Sri Lanka series and Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Indian team management and skipper Rohit Sharma want Bumrah to return back to the side only after gaining full fitness, with Rohit warning against rushing the pacer back into the team.