Jasprit Bumrah to prove his fitness in Ranji Trophy game against Kerala

Jasprit Bumrah is set to make a comeback to the national side after a few months of break because of injury and all eyes will be on the pacer’s fitness when he turns out for his state Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy game against Kerala, starting Wednesday in Surat.

Bumrah, who has been out of the game since India’s tour of the West Indies, has been picked for the Indian squads for the T20I series against Sri Lanka and ODI series against Australia at home in January. Among those who will keep a close watch on the talented seamer is chief selector MSK Prasad.

Jasprit Bumrah last played international cricket in August

Bumrah, who turned 26 earlier this month, took a hat-trick in the last international game he played and it was a Test match against the Caribbeans. He suffered a stress fracture and missed out on making Test debut at home, a year-and-half since starting with the red-ball format.

Bumrah’s return was expected after he bowled full in a training session ahead of the second ODI against the West Indies in Visakhapatnam last week.

The skiddy pacer has played in 12 Tests, 58 ODIs and 42 T20Is in which he has claimed 216 scalps. He has been particularly impressive in Tests where he has taken 62 wickets at an impressive average of less than 20. In first-class cricket, Bumrah has taken 151 wickets in 38 matches at an average of around 23. He made his debut for Gujarat in first-class cricket in 2013.

However, Jasprit Bumrah’s absence has been felt a little so far as other seamers have chipped in strong to decimate the opponents, especially in Tests. Gujarat will be happy to have Bumrah’s service in their game against Kerala. They comfortably beat Hyderabad in their first match of the season.

Kerala, on the other hand, will be under pressure as they have lost to Bengal and could manage a draw against Delhi. The visitors will be heavily banking on the form of Sanju Samson who has also been picked for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

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