Bumrah receives pace colleague Bhuvneshwar's backing in workload debate: 'People don’t always understand...'

Jasprit Bumrah received the support of pace colleague Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the workload debate, with the latter stating that such a step is necessary in order to prolong the career of an individual who is widely regarded as India’s greatest fast bowler. Bumrah has been facing flak for sitting out of two matches out of five in the high-profile Test series against England recently, including the series finale at The Oval.

In his absence, fellow pacer Mohammed Siraj stepped up and bowled the Shubman Gill-led visitors to a thrilling 6-run victory on a dramatic final day.

Siraj was hailed for being a workhorse in the tour, playing all five Tests and sending down 1,113 deliveries to finish as the series’ leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets. Bumrah, meanwhile, finished fourth in the wicket-takers’ list with 14 wickets at an average of 26, and faced some criticism for not having as much of an impact on the series despite collecting two five-fors – both coming in defeats.

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‘He can still make a big impact in those three games’

Bhuvneshwar cited Bumrah’s unique bowling action that put pressure on his back as well as the number of years he has been representing India across formats besides the Indian Premier League as reasons warranting careful management of his workload.

“Look, considering how many years Jasprit Bumrah has been playing and competing in all formats, it is tough for anyone to sustain that. And with the kind of bowling action Bumrah has, injuries can happen to him or to anyone,” ‘Bhuvi’ said on the Talk with Manvendra podcast.

“I had no problem with him playing three out of five matches. If the selectors know what he can offer and are okay with it, it’s because they know he can still make a big impact in those three games. If a player might not play all five matches but will contribute significantly in three, that should be okay,” added the 35-year-old, who had recently starred in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title-winning campaign.

Bhuvneshwar cites ‘mental and physical pressure’ of bowling in tough situations

Bhuvneshwar also reminded followers of the game the number of times Bumrah bowled his team to victory in crunch situations, and the kind of “mental and physical pressure” that it put the 31-year-old under.

“People don’t always understand how tough it is to keep playing for so many years across formats. Bumrah is always bowling in tough situations, which brings both mental and physical pressure. If you want a player to have a long career, you have to manage them somehow,” added Bhuvneshwar, who was part of the Indian attack during Bumrah’s debut Test tour – in South Africa in 2018.

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Bumrah’s workload is being managed carefully ever since he suffered a back injury towards the end of the five-Test series in Australia in January after playing every game in the tour, finishing as the leading wicket-taker by a fair distance (32 wickets at an average of 13.06).

The injury, however, caused him to be sidelined for the next three months, leading to fears that another such scenario could potentially signal the end of his career.