'It's their problem, not mine..': Bumrah's toe-crusher to 'expectation of Rohit, Dravid' query before India vs Ireland

Jasprit Bumrah is fit, sharp and ready to take on the world but of course, with a sense of caution. He is returning to international cricket after 11 months. He had tried to make a comeback in the T20I series against Australia in September last year but was ruled out after playing just two matches. He made another attempt this year during the home ODIs against Sri Lanka but was pulled out of the squad before the series could even begin. This time, however, Bumrah “won't hold back”. And in his first press conference after returning to the Indian side, he did not.

Bumrah will spearhead India's pace attack in the three-match T20I series against Ireland starting August 18 but also captain a young Indian side for the first time in white-ball cricket.

"All good, very happy to be back. Have been working very hard at the NCA. It's been a long road but yeah, very happy to be back. I'm looking forward to it," Bumrah said on the eve of the first T20I in Dublin, erasing all doubts about his fitness.

The right-arm pacer, who has spent countless hours bowling at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru after recovering from a stress fracture on his back, said he has "no restrictions" and will bowl full-throttle, treating the three-match T20Is as a preparation for the Asia Cup and Word Cup.

"There are certain things which are not in your hands. You have to respect your body and give it time to recover. But what it does is makes you hungry. I understood the moment my body recovered, I could do that little bit extra. I'm not holding back. I have had many net sessions. Not just at NCA even back home with the Gujarat team. I have no restrictions. The body feels good," he said.

‘Never thought I am finished’: Bumrah ahead of Ireland series

It hasn't been easy for Bumrah, who was at the top of his game in all three formats when the injury pegged him back but the 29-year-old said he never thought his career was finished.

"When your injury takes it becomes frustrating at times. But instead of having self-doubts and thinking that I won't be able to come back. I respected my body. I never thought I am finished or these are my dark days. I was always positive and focussing on the process to get back to the game I love," he said.

The Indian team missed him dearly in all formats. He did not play in the Asia Cup and India failed to make the finals of the tournament. He did not play in the T20 World Cup and India had no one to fall back on when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales were going all guns blazing in the semi-final. In the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, India's pace attack appeared toothless.

Quite understandably, Bumrah's absence was discussed not once or twice but multiple times. Even captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid accepted that Bumrah's absence has hurt them. But Bumrah is not putting himself under pressure because of the weight of expectations. He wants to enjoy the game first.

‘I don’t take anyone's opinion seriously': Jasprit Bumrah

"I respect their opinion but irrespective they are good or bad, I don't take anyone's opinion seriously. I don't want to put myself under pressure. I don't put unnecessary expectations on me. I am coming back after a long time, I want to enjoy it now. I'm not thinking that I have to contribute a lot or I will change everything. I'm coming with minimal expectations. If others are expecting, it's their problem, not mine," Bumrah said when asked about the expectations of Rohit and Dravid.

In his first practice session with Team India on Wednesday, Bumrah was at his absolute best. He gave a hard time to all the batters that faced him in the nets. When asked about the practice sessions, he said: "I'm just the same guy. I've always had a lot of belief in my ability. Yes, obviously I understand that I am coming back after a long layoff. So you obviously want to work your way up. You want to enjoy your game. You want to slowly keep on getting better with each and every game and not be too unrealistic with what you want to do. You want to feel good getting a lot more game time."