"I was not really nervous but very happy to be back," Jasprit Bumrah after receiving the Man Of The Match Award On Injury Return

Jasprit Bumrah needed just two balls to get his first international wicket after 11 months for the Indian cricket team. His return was exciting for the Indian fans ahead of the Asia Cup 2023 and the World Cup 2023. Bumrah made the spell special by returning with figures of 2/24 to grab the player-of-the-match award on his international return. He also became the first Indian player to win the Man of the Match Award on T20I captaincy debut. Jasprit Bumrah last featured for India exactly 327 days back in a bilateral T20I series at home against Australia. A back injury ruled him out from the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The pacer went through surgery and began a rehabilitation process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

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Ireland only managed to score only 139 runs with 7 wickets losing after India sent them to bat first. Barry McCarthy played a brilliant inning in the later stages for Ireland to get them to the total. Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, and Bishnoi returned with two wickets. The Men in Blues took the lead in the series by successfully chasing down 46 runs after rain interrupted the play.

"In every game, you would want more...": Jasprit Bumrah during the post-match presentation

"I was not really nervous but very happy to be back," Bumrah, who returned with 2 for 24, said at the post-match presentation ceremony. When you're captaining you are thinking more about the whole team and not just your own performance," Bumrah said during the post-match presentation.

"I felt very good. So many sessions I did at the NCA, didn't feel I missed out a lot or was doing something new. Credit to the staff there, they kept me in good spirits. You are not thinking about yourself, you are thinking about others out there. I think the IPL also helps. It is always good, wherever we go, they support us, that helps us to keep the spirit high. Opting to field, Bumrah had a perfect start, grabbing two wickets and giving away just two runs in his first over," he added.

"In every game, you would want more. They played well, after a crisis, they played well, credit where it is due. Even when you win, there are areas to improve on. Everybody is very confident, they are very well prepared," Bumrah concluded.