India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has stepped up preparations for a busy international calendar, returning to red-ball training during a practice session in Ahmedabad.
The Mumbai Indians' pacer shared glimpses of his intense workout on Instagram on Sunday, posting pictures of himself bowling with the red SG ball as he trained at the Gujarat College ground. Several of his Gujarat domestic teammates, including fast bowler Chintan Gaja, were present during the session as the 32-year-old continued his preparations after a short break following the Indian Premier League.
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The premier fast bowler has been rested for India's ongoing T20I series against Ireland and England as part of workload management. However, he is set to return to international action in the three-match ODI series against England, beginning in Birmingham on July 14 before the remaining fixtures in Cardiff on July 16 and at Lord's on July 19.
The England series will mark Bumrah's first appearance in ODI cricket since India's defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Since then, the right-arm pacer has not featured in the format, with the team management carefully managing his workload.
Bumrah was also rested for India's one-off home Test and three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in June. He is, however, expected to be part of India's squad for the men's T20 cricket competition at the Asian Games in Japan in September.
Before that, Bumrah's focus will be firmly on the longest format. India will tour Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series from August 15 to 27, with the matches scheduled to be played in Galle and Colombo. The series will mark Bumrah's maiden Test tour of Sri Lanka and his first red-ball assignment since returning from his post-IPL break.
India will then face another stern challenge with a two-match away Test series against New Zealand, beginning on November 19. With India currently placed fifth in the World Test Championship standings with a points percentage of 48.15 after nine matches, Bumrah's fitness and form are expected to play a crucial role in the team's bid to qualify for the WTC final.
One of the finest fast bowlers of his generation, Bumrah has claimed 234 wickets in 52 Test matches and 149 wickets in 89 ODIs, underlining his importance across formats.
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