‘You’re an Indian player first and then you play for your franchise’- Ex-India opener’s huge remark amidst reports of Jasprit Bumrah’s return in Indian T20 League

Former Indian and Kolkata franchise cricketer Aakash Chopra has recently shared his opinion on Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the Mumbai franchise in the upcoming season and the team India is praying that he should maintain his fitness levels. Jasprit Bumrah’s ongoing back injuries have kept him out of competitive cricket for a considerable amount of time.

The World Test Championship, which will take place in June at The Oval, and the ODI World Cup, which will take place in India, are two major world tournaments that are coming up this year. To be able to compete in both of these competitions, team India would want the 29-year-old to be in good physical condition.

He opined that there was no need to make a big deal out of Bumrah missing a few games for his team because it was more crucial for him to stay fit so he could represent India. The Mumbai-based franchise will also need to follow Indian Cricket Board rules and cooperate with them in controlling and monitoring Bumrah’s recovery process.

If Bumrah feels any discomfort, the Indian Cricket Board will step in: Aakash Chopra

“You’re an Indian player first and then you play for your franchise. So, if Bumrah feels any discomfort, the Indian Cricket Board will step in and tell the franchise that we are not going to release him. The world won’t end if he doesn’t play seven games with Jofra Archer,” Chopra was quoted as saying on Sportskeeda.

“At the same time, when you’re fit, you want to keep on playing as that only makes you better. So I definitely feel the Mumbai franchise will pay heed to it if Indian Cricket Board steps in because he is a national treasure and things aren’t as difficult to manage as they seem to be at the moment,” he added.

The 29-year-old was left out of the Indian Cricket Board’s most recent announcement of the ODI team for the three-match series against Australia on Sunday, February 19. According to the Indian Cricket Board, the pacer’s stress fracture healing has been slow. Therefore, the Indian team management is unlikely to take a chance by putting him in the three-match ODI series against Australia soon after the four-match Test series is finished.