Jasprit Bumrah offered radical advice on IPL vs Test cricket workload debate: 'Too much cricket...'

Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun feels premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah go to the extent of skipping an entire season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) if he is to play a five-match Test series right after, adding that the five-day format should be prioritised for him the way Cricket Australia does for their fast bowlers such as Mitchell Starc .

“Definitely, this would help. Especially when you want to preserve bowlers,” Arun told The Times of India. “Like, it’s okay for a batter or a spinner to play all formats. But for a fast bowler, yes — playing too much cricket doesn’t give enough time to work on the physical front.

“So yes, this definitely can be looked into. People like Bumrah or any other bowler we feel is very important for a particular series can be rested, and they can also be adequately compensated.

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“If he’s properly compensated and then told by the BCCI, because he’s on contract, that we want you to work on this particular aspect of your game, I think that’s fair enough,” the former Tamil Nadu all-rounder, who had two separate stints with the Indian team as their bowling coach, added.

Why has there been so much spotlight on Bumrah’s workload?

Bumrah’s workload management was one of the most popular topics of discussion during the five-match Test series between India and England, which concluded nearly a month ago with a series-leveling victory for the Shubman Gill-led visitors at The Oval.

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The 31-year-old speedster had played all 12 games for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League earlier this year since his return from a back injury that he had suffered in January towards the end of the tour of Australia.

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Bumrah, however, played only three out of five Tests in England in order to manage to rigours of five-day cricket. He skipped the second and fifth Tests at Edgbaston and The Oval respectively – both of which were won by Gill and Co.

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He also looked slightly off-colour in this series, finishing as the fourth-highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets. What was especially concerning was his pace gradually dropping over the course of the series.

Bumrah has not played white-ball cricket for India since last year’s T20 World Cup, but will be making a comeback later this month after getting included in India’s squad for the Asia Cup.