Jasprit Bumrah has been added to the ODI squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka in order to give him time to regain his rhythm ahead of the four Tests versus Australia, starting next month.

‘Boom Boom’ Bumrah has been out of action since September last year because of a stress reaction in his back and had been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. The move to include the fast bowler in the ODI series had been discussed during the BCCI’s performance review meeting in Mumbai on Sunday.

Bumrah is learnt to have resumed bowling at the NCA since November. Once the NCA gave him the clearance following long spells, the outgoing national selection committee decided to include Bumrah in the squad. It is believed that bowling short spells in match situations will help him gear up for the upcoming Test series.

However, the manner of his return is being debated upon since there is a feeling that he should have been made to play a Ranji Trophy match before being rushed into international cricket. If needed, the NCA could have kept a tab on his workload in the Ranji match by working in tandem with the state side.

The Telegraph understands that the team management was keen on his presence in the ODI squad and selectors agreed to their wishes.

Bumrah’s availability is also crucial in case India qualify to play the World Test Championship final in June after the IPL. Rohit Sharma’s men are placed second in the table after Australia and next month’s series will decide their fate.

“The pacer has undergone rehabilitation and has been declared fit by the NCA,” the BCCI said in a statement. “He will be joining the Team India ODI squad soon.”

The selectors and team management had been cautious about rushing him back into international cricket following the manner in which his injury resurfaced during the T20Is against Australia at home last year. He was subsequently ruled out of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Bumrah’s presence in the ODI squad means India will get enough time and opportunity to settle their XI ahead of the World Cup in October.

Revised squad

⚫ Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.