Jasprit Bumrah underwent surgery on his lower back in New Zealand, which was successful, and he remains pain-free. The fast bowler was advised by the specialist to start his rehab six weeks after the surgery, and accordingly, Bumrah commenced his rehab management at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru on Friday.
Shreyas Iyer is scheduled to undergo surgery for his lower back issue next week. He will remain under the surgeon’s care for two weeks and will return to the NCA after that for rehabilitation. Bumrah has been out of action since September 2022 owing to a back injury and, as a result, missed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The ace pacer completed his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and has been seen bowling in the nets, but the BCCI has chosen not to rush him back into action.
While fans wait to see Bumrah back on the field with his unique bowling action, he has been unable to join the team due to a recurring injury. He has attempted to make a comeback more than once since suffering a back injury in August that ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Initially, the injury did not seem serious as he was named in India’s T20 World Cup squad in September and even played the last two T20Is against Australia on 23 September and 25 September.
Iyer had opted out of back surgery for his recurring lower-back injury. He has been advised to rest and is continuing his rehab. The injury had first ruled him out of the final Test against Australia during the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and he also missed the ODI series against the visitors.
There is no definite return date marked for Iyer, and he will be under the supervision of the BCCI medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. KKR, however, expects their skipper to be back for the second half of the cash-rich league.
Iyer’s issue concerns a bulging disc in his spine, resulting in an impinged nerve. The nerve runs along the right leg and has caused extreme pain in Iyer’s calf. The batter has received six injections in the recent past to numb his back pain.
The 28-year-old first experienced back discomfort last December, just after the conclusion of the Bangladesh tour. He missed the series against New Zealand at home and the first BGT test against Australia. Though he returned to play the second and third tests, the pain resurfaced during the final test, where he fielded for two days. He did not come out to bat during India’s only innings in the match, which ended in a draw.