Jasprit Bumrah, who is injured, is currently receiving treatment at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), according to India's head coach Rahul Dravid, who said that the team management will remain optimistic as long as the bowler hasn't been formally ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
Due to a back ailment, the 28-year-old bowler is unable to play in the current T20I series against South Africa, raising questions about whether he can compete in the forthcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.
Due to the same injury, Bumrah missed the Asia Cup but returned in the T20I series against Australia. Despite missing the first game, he was present for India's victories in the series' final two games.
Sadly, the BCCI announced before of the first T20I against South Africa that Bumrah had complained of back pain during the practise session on Tuesday, preventing him from playing in the first T20I and ultimately the series.
"He has currently been declared officially ineligible to play in the T20 series against South Africa. He visited the NCA, and we are awaiting official word on what will happen next "During the press conference prior to the second T20I, Dravid spoke on Bumrah.
He continued, "As of right now, he is only officially ruled out of this series. We will see what happens over the next couple of days, but if we get an official confirmation, then we will be able to communicate that."
When questioned more about the specifics of Bumrah's injury, Dravid claimed he relied on the opinions of professionals rather than reading medical papers in-depth.
The coach added, "I don't look closely at the medical reports; I rely on the specialists to tell me what it is."
"He was disqualified from this series and is currently being evaluated. What happens in the future will become clear to you in due order. We shall always be optimistic and wish for the best till he is formally ruled out "Added he.
Bumrah is currently in a time crunch because the India team is travelling to Australia for the T20 World Cup on October 6. Prior to the main event, they will play two exhibition games against Australia and New Zealand.
The Rohit Sharma-led team's T20 World Cup campaign will get underway on October 23 when they take on archrivals Pakistan in Melbourne. Thereafter, they will play on October 27 against a qualifier in Sydney, on October 30 against South Africa in Perth, on November 2 against Bangladesh in Adelaide, and on November 6 against Bangladesh (vs qualifier in Melbourne).