Happy to be back, says Jasprit Bumrah

Ahead of the first T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka, India pacer Jasprit Bumrah on Saturday said that he is very happy to be back in the side, while adding that he used his injury to develop his strength.

"Initially I was playing a lot of cricket. So, it is difficult to manage hunger sometimes. Then I got a break after some time. You feel that you want to make a comeback as soon as you can. But at the same time, you do not want to sound eager and don't want to rush into things," Bumrah said in a video posted by the BCCI on its website.

"I am very happy to be back. The intensity was very good in the training session, in the fielding session, we covered all aspects, we practiced catching," he added.

The pacer said that he is now thinking about one game at a time and is not looking too far ahead.

"I took my injury as an opportunity to build my strength. I wanted to improve wherever I could. I want to take it one game at a time, not looking too far ahead. The discussions were very good, I was always in touch with the support staff and management. You ask questions on how you can improve," said Bumrah.

In December last year, Bumrah was named in India's squad for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka and ODI series against Australia.

Bumrah was first ruled out of the Test series against South Africa on September 24 last year due to a minor stress fracture in his lower back.

He was then replaced by Umesh Yadav in the Indian squad. Bumrah played his last game against the West Indies in which he took seven wickets.

In the second Test of the series against Windies, Bumrah became only the third Indian bowler after Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan to record a hat-trick in the longest format of the game.

He was also a part of the Mumbai Indians' winning IPL squad this year. Bumrah is a vital member of the Indian team in all three formats. He is the number one bowler in the ODI format. He was the highest wicket-taker for the side in the ICC Men's World Cup 2019.