Jasprit Bumrah is working on his fitness, his absence is always felt: Mohammed Shami

India’s gun fast bowler Mohammed Shami has revealed that Jasprit Bumrah is working hard on his fitness and his absence is always felt in the team. Bumrah was all set to make his much-awaited comeback in the ODI series against Sri Lanka but he was later ruled out.

Bumrah had missed the crucial World Cup due to a back injury and since then he has been out of action. Furthermore, the ace paceman is ruled out of the first two Test matches against Australia, which is a big blow for the team.

Meanwhile, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj have done a fabulous job for the team. Shami returned with impressive figures of 3-18 in the second ODI against New Zealand.

“The absence of good players is always felt. But if a player gets injured, the game doesn’t stop. We do miss him because he is a good bowler. We are hopeful that he returns soon so that the team gets even stronger. He is working on his fitness and we are waiting for him to join the Indian team and complete the setup,” Shami said while addressing a press conference following India’s triumph over New Zealand.

On the other hand, Shami revealed he likes playing matches more than practice as there is more to learn in match situations.

“I always like playing matches. I feel it is better than practice because your reality is visible there. So, it is better to play as many matches as you can ahead of a big tournament. Obviously, everyone’s workload is being managed and is being managed very well. I am hoping the main players and seniors stay in a good zone and set up ahead of the big tournaments,” Shami added.

Shami went on to add that the World Cup is still far away and they need to try a few players before finalizing the squad.

“If people still doubt the Indian team despite the results it has given in the last four to six years, World Cup is still a long time away. We need to play a lot of games and need to try out more players before that,” Shami added.

The third and final ODI against New Zealand will be played in Indore on Tuesday.