“As I recover, I’ll be cheering on the team”

It’s a worrying time for India fans as their pacey bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2022 men’s T20 World Cup.

The 28-year-old has suffered a back stress fracture and is reported to be out for four to six months.

The concerns first came when Bumrah pulled out of India’s T20 series against South Africa which they won 2-1.

Although he does not require any surgery, he will still miss a significant amount of India’s fixtures.

Considered one of the best bowlers in the world, India said they made the difficult decision after a “detailed assessment and in consultation with the specialists”.

Announcing the injury on his Instagram, Bumrah said:

“I am gutted that I won’t be a part of the T20 World Cup this time, but thankful for the wishes, care and support I’ve received from my loved ones.

“As I recover, I’ll be cheering on the team through their campaign in Australia.”

Since 2016, Bumrah has taken 70 international T20 wickets in 60 matches. It is further proof of how significant of a loss this is.

The injury blows don’t soften there as terrific all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is out with a right knee injury.

Whilst they are still seen as one of the favourites for the tournament, they will need solid replacements to have any chance of competing against the other teams.

Mohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar are on India’s reserve list as potential candidates to come into the team.

Mohammed Siraj has already been called up to the squad in order to bolster their attack.

But, he will need to heavily improve on his figures where he’s taken only five wickets from his first five T20 international games.

Although, they could heavily rely on their batting talisman in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to lead them to victory.

The T20 World Cup 2022 kicks off on October 16, 2022, and will take place in Australia.

India’s first match of the contest is against their fiercest rivals, Pakistan. On October 23, 2022, they will go head to head at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

South Africa and Bangladesh are also in India’s group so they will need to be on their A-game to come out of these early hurdles unscathed.