New Delhi: In September of last year, Jasprit Bumrah made his final appearance for India. He was ruled out from the Asia Cup because the Indian pacer spearhead's stress fracture in his spine, but it turns out that the recovery wasn't completely successful. Bumrah gave up after six overs in two T20Is against Australia, and this time it was permanent. The extent of Bumrah's back injury necessitated surgery in New Zealand in March, but even now, over four months later, there is still no indication of when he will return.

When all seemed lost, a hopeful report appears to have surfaced, giving Indian supporters an idea of hope that the pacer will return to action, perhaps in time for the World Cup. When the awaited World Cup 2023 schedule was released by the ICC on Tuesday, Team India learned an unexpected but encouraging development regarding Bumrah. According to a PTI report, Bumrah has begun bowling after starting his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. At the NCA, the 29-year-old is reportedly bowling seven overs per day, which is just what is needed.

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Bumrah was rumoured to be returning to India for the Ireland T20Is after the West Indies tour, but those plans have been put on hold for the moment. Questions over Bumrah's return date and whether he will ever be the same bowler have dogged Indian cricket for almost a year, but at least this development will please every supporter.

Recently, a picture from the NCA that showed all of India's injured players in one shot appeared online. At the NCA, Mohammed Siraj was photographed with Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer, who are all out due to injuries. Bumrah, however, was not seen. It was thought that just a small group of people, including VVS Laxman, were keeping tabs on Bumrah's recovery and that information about it wouldn't be made public until everyone engaged in the recovery process were satisfied.

"For an injury of this nature, it is not wise to set any timeline as constant monitoring is necessary. But it can be said that Bumrah is recovering well and he has bowled seven overs at NCA nets. It is a steady increase in his workload from the light workouts and bowling sessions of the initial period. He will play a few practice matches (at NCA) next month, and there will be a close assessment of his fitness then," told PTI.

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While the news that Bumrah is bowling at the NCA is encouraging, the BCCI shouldn't rush him back because that could make the situation worse. Ramji Srinivasan, a former strength and conditioning coach for India, is outright opposed to it and believes Bumrah should be given as much time as possible to recover fully, even if that means missing the World Cup.

"He should not be hurried. Playing practice matches at the NCA is a good step as it will help tune his body to the demands of a match. But he should be made to play in some actual (domestic) matches before bringing him to top level cricket. The demands of international cricket are different and the body should be absolutely ready to take that amount of workload. Recovering from stress fracture is a delicate exercise and Bumrah should be allowed maximum recovery time," he told.

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