The forced four-month break due to a stress fracture “wasn’t a difficult” period for India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as there was “no pain” and he utilised the time away from the game to work on his strength and conditioning.
“It was not difficult for me as I was never in pain. Not even for a single day. I took it as an opportunity to build my strength,” Bumrah told bcci.Tv after his first training session with the team.
He was always updated about how the team was progressing and did his homework so that he is not found wanting once he is back in action.
“I was always keeping a track on what is happening so when you are back in the team, you shouldn’t be too far away.”
The 26-year-old slinger felt that playing all three formats continuously did affect his fitness, for which the break was necessary.
“When you play continuously, your strength level goes down. Your fitness level can also go down a little bit. So I was looking at how to bring the strength back, how to improve upon the things I wanted to improve.
“So take some time off and return fresh. Be hungry again. So all these things were on top of my mind. I am not looking too far ahead. I wanted to take one match at a time,” said Bumrah.