Team India badly missed the services of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia.

Bumrah has been out of action for a long period because of his recurring back injury. He was last seen in action during the home T20I series against Australia in September 2022.

Earlier this year, the right-arm quick underwent back surgery and missed the IPL 2023 season for Mumbai Indians (MI).

While there has been no official update regarding his return to the game, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has warned the Indian team against rushing Bumrah.

"He (Bumrah) is a very important cricketer. But if you rush him for the World Cup then you might lose him for four months later on, much like Shaheen Afridi. So there's a thin line and it needs to be thought about," Shastri told The Week in an interview.

Notably, Jasprit Bumrah picked up a stress fracture on his lower back prior to the Asia Cup last year. On his return in the home T20Is against Australia in September 2022, the fast bowler went down again and was ruled out of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Bumrah was supposed to make his comeback to the India team after a prolong injury lay-off during the ODI series against Sri Lanka in January 2023 but BCCI withdrew his name from the squad at the last moment, citing that the pacer needs some more time to build bowling resilience.

According to reports, Bumrah might make a comeback to the Indian team during the T20I tour of Ireland in August 2023, prior to the Asia Cup.

The Indian players are currently enjoying a much-needed break from the game. India’s next assignment is the tour of West Indies, comprising two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is, slated to get underway on July 12.