• Source:JND
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Jasprit Bumrah will be the focal point of attention as he leads India against Ireland in a three-match T20 International series, beginning Friday. Bumrah's comeback after a 11-month hiatus due to lower-back stress fractures will be closely observed, as he gears up for the upcoming ODI World Cup.

While the team boasts emerging IPL talents like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma, all eyes will be on Bumrah, a pivotal figure in India's World Cup plans. The 29-year-old underwent surgery last year after suffering injuries during a series against Australia.

The India captain for the Ireland T20Is in Dublin also confirmed it himself ahead of the series opener that he was 'all good' now.

"All good. Very happy to be back. Been working really hard at the NCA. It's been a long road but everything is good, my body feels good and I'm looking forward to playing some cricket," Bumrah said. "Feels nice to be back. I want game time and it'll be great to play again so I am looking forward to it."

"I was obviously looking forward to coming back. I met a lot of players too at the NCA when they were coming. Sometimes some things are not in your hands. The body needs time for recovery and you need to respect that. Then when you come back there's a lot of hunger because when you play cricket continuously you don't even know what an off-season is like.

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Bumrah spoke about how he was looking to go back to the bowling routine after physical restrictions post surgery got over.

"So in this phase when my physical restrictions were done, I was only looking to work on my bowling and work on the strength of my body. I was doing that and also following how India's cricket was going on. Now when I met players it felt good because it happened after a long time. It's nice. Some players have come from the West Indies and they're confident so it felt good," Bumrah added.

"I was bowling normally [in the nets]. It's not like I am holding back. I am enjoying it quite a lot. I've done a lot of net sessions here. When my rehabilitation ended, I went home too and even practiced with the Gujarat team. I've done a lot of net sessions in a lot of places, and even played a lot of practice matches.

"So it's not like I am bowling with a restriction or I am holding back. Obviously when you're with the Indian team and here where the weather is good, you enjoy bowling. I am not holding back, the body feels good and I'm looking forward to the games coming up," Bumrah added.

Bumrah missed out on IPL 2023 the marquee World Test Championship that followed and there was uncertainty about his return on time for the Asia Cup 2023 and World Cup 2023. However, with the upcoming T20I series against Ireland, Bumrah can finally be certain be aware of his match-fitness.