'If he decides against playing Test cricket...': Australian legend suggests Jasprit Bumrah to manage his workload

Star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s injury issue is certainly one of the major headaches that the Indian team has been dealing with in recent times. The 29-year-old quick has remained out of action since he picked up a back injury in September last year.

His absence in two marquee tournaments – Asia Cup and T20 World Cup – turned out to be a crucial loss for the Men in Blue. Though he was expected to return to the squad during India’s home series against Sri Lanka, he could not make it due to another unfortunate injury.

Subsequently, Bumrah missed the entire New Zealand series and has also not been included in the squad for the first two Tests of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rohit Sharma: I am hoping Jasprit Bumrah plays next (last) two Tests

While Bumrah’s prolonged injury has raised a lot of questions regarding his career, former Australia pacer Jeff Thompson revealed his thoughts on the matter and blamed the extreme workload for frequent injuries.

The legendary bowler who has played 51 Tests in the Aussie outfit and has 200 wickets under his belt, referred to some valuable suggestions for Bumrah while speaking on Revsportz.

According to Thompson, as a fast bowler, Bumrah may need to prioritise the formats in which he wants to put more focus in an effort to stretch his career.

Thompson explained that the scenario of international cricket has changed a lot compared to the situation during his playing days. “We used to play summer seasons and then go to England for a four-and-a-half-month tour in winter. But generally, we only played during the summer to allow for a slow buildup to going all out after Christmas. I knew that I would get time to rest,” he noted.

He also highlighted the fact that pacers these days get rest as “it is a 12-month-a-year job.” “We did not rest in our days. If we would do so, someone else would take our spot,” Thompson recalled.

Furthermore, Thompson suggested Bumrah take a call on if he wants to play the longest format or not. “It would be very challenging for me to play Test matches if I were playing right now. Particularly when you earn so much money in the game’s shorter form, which also increases your longevity.”

Thus, the Aussie great recommended Bumrah manage his workload instead of going into every format.

In the end, Thompson cleared the fact that whatever decision Bumrah takes for his betterment, his position as a good bowler mostly depends on the fans. “It’s a bit of a blow if he decides against playing Test cricket, but if he participates in a T20 match, people will show up to watch him. If a player restricted himself to that, he would play for a longer period of time,” the pacer maestro noted further.

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