The anticipation surrounding Jasprit Bumrah‘s return to Team India and his road to recovery has only deepened with each passing day. Recent reports suggested that Bumrah’s rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) following back surgery for a stress fracture was progressing well, and he could potentially make a comeback during the Ireland T20Is in August.
Adding to the bittersweet updates on Bumrah’s recovery, a pleasant surprise emerged as it was announced that he is set to participate in the Asia Cup in September. On Thursday, Ravichandran Ashwin further fueled the excitement when he provided insights on Bumrah’s potential return while discussing the recently announced fixtures for the ICC World Cup 2023.
During his discussion on the highly anticipated India versus Pakistan match scheduled to take place at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, Ashwin hinted at Bumrah’s involvement, which will undoubtedly bring joy to Indian cricket fans.
“The last few games between India and Pakistan in the ICC events have been extraordinary to say the least. I think we can expect another blockbuster India-Pakistan game. It’s going to be a very equally-balanced game because Pakistan also have a quality seam attack. For India, obviously, we are expecting Bumrah, maybe even Prasidh… all these guys to be fit. I don’t know what the combination is going to look like but all in all, a great contest on hand,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Notably, Bumrah has missed all three T20Is against Pakistan in recent years—two during the Asia Cup and one at the T20 World Cup. However, if he is fit for the Asia Cup, he is likely to play in the upcoming games against the neighboring nation.
Despite the global showpiece event being three and a half months away, the India-Pakistan clash is already creating a buzz, with hotels in Ahmedabad reportedly booked in advance. It is expected that tickets for the highly anticipated match will sell like hotcakes once the sales window opens. Ashwin himself expressed his excitement for the match, reflecting the enthusiasm shared by fans across the country.
“The game I want to talk about is the one against Pakistan at Ahmedabad on October 15. Of course, it’s going to be a sell-out. 130000 will be the capacity audience at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Even in the 2011 World Cup, Ahmedabad had happy memories at Ahmedabad. The same venue was called the Motera Stadium back then where he played our quarter-final against Australia and beat them. We qualified for the semifinal against Pakistan and went on to win that World Cup,” added Ashwin.
