'Fingers crossed': Bumrah not out of T20 World Cup yet, says Ganguly

The BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Friday said that the injured Jasprit Bumrah is still not ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup and the clarity on India pacer's availability for the mega event in Australia will come out in the next two or three days.

The 28-year-old was rushed to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru from Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday to undergo scans on his back after being ruled out of the ongoing three-match T20I series against South Africa.

It has been learnt that Bumrah went for scans and the assessment is underway at the NCA. The initial impression is that the back injury that the India pacer is suffering from is not as serious as it was originally thought to be. Though, there is no guarantee that he will be there for the showpiece event in Australia.

"Let's see what happens. Bumrah is not out of the World Cup yet," Ganguly told Xtra Time digital channel in Kolkata on Friday.

"Fingers crossed, yes. We will find out in the next two or three days. Don't rule him out yet," he added.

The scans done on Bumrah will be studied by independent medical consultants hired by the BCCI who will then coordinate with the board's medical staff to determine the next step on the future of pacer, an ESPNcricinfo report said.

As it stands, Bumrah is in a race against time with the India squad departing for Australia on October 6 to prepare for the T20 World Cup.

They will be in Perth until October 13 before heading to Brisbane where they are scheduled to play two practice matches against Australia and New Zealand on October 17 and 19 before moving to Melbourne to play their tournament opener against Pakistan on October 23.

Meanwhile, Fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik will travel to Australia with the Indian contingent on October 6 for the upcoming Men's T20 World Cup, report said.

With uncertainty over injured Jaspreet Bumrah's availability for the mega event, Indian team management is set to carry at least two additional fast bowlers as back-up for the premier pacer and net bowlers in the preparatory phase of the tournament.

Siraj and Umran will travel with the squad to Perth on October 6, where the Indian team will train for a week before travelling to Brisbane for its first warm-up match on October 17, a Sportstar report said.