Jasprit Bumrah after India’s England win: ‘Heard things like I will never come back’

Jasprit Bumrah has 14 wickets from 6 matches in Cricket World Cup 2023

India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has opened up about questions he had faced about his comeback after suffering a stress fracture that left him out of action for nearly a year.

Bumrah’s recovery took longer than anticipated but he returned to play for India before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The 29-year-old right-arm fast bowler has left no stone unturned and has made a memorable comeback during the Cricket World Cup that is currently underway in India.

Throughout Bumrah’s absence, however, there have been doubts raised about his future. The Indian bowler appears to have amped up his bowling more than ever as he has picked up 14 wickets in six matches during the international cricket tournament.

His performance reflects India’s own during the world cup, as the side is currently the only one that remains unbeaten.

“My wife [the TV sports presenter Sanjana Ganesan] also works in the sports-media department. So yeah, I heard a lot of question marks on my career that I will never come back and all of that, but it doesn’t really matter. I’m very happy,” Bumrah told Sky Sports after India’s 100-run win over England.

“I came back and I realised how much I love playing the game,” he said.

“I was not chasing anything. Great headspace was there when I came back from the injury. So yeah, eventually I’m looking at the positives and trying to enjoy as much as you can.”

India claimed their sixth consecutive win in the 2023 World Cup on Sunday when they beat defending champions England by 100 runs.

Despite putting up a low total of 229 runs on the board, India secured a big win thanks to fast bowlers Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. They shared seven wickets between themselves, with Bumrah finishing with figures of 3 for 32 in 6.5 overs.

The Indian team has one foot in the semi-final, but one more victory would seal the deal for the side led by Rohit Sharma. They are scheduled to take on Sri Lanka at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Bumrah suffered a stress fracture during India’s home series against Australia in September last year. That ruled him out of the Asia Cup and then the T20 World Cup. His absence left a noticeable void as India were eliminated from the ICC event Down Under following a 10-wicket loss to eventual champions England.

The fast bowler returned from the long injury layoff earlier this year in August when India toured Ireland for a T20I series. Bumrah was also entrusted with the responsibility of captaining India in the three-match series, which the visiting side won 2-0.