NEWS
Follow UsJasprit Bumrah did everything in his command to keep India alive in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but his body finally broke down before the final innings of the fifth Test in Sydney. The ace paceman suffered a back spasm during the first innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground and didn’t come out to bowl in the second innings, which resulted in Australia winning the match and the series.
Bumrah produced unbelievable numbers in the BGT 2024-25. The right-arm pacer claimed 32 wickets in nine innings at a stunning average of 13.06 and a strike rate of 28.37. Bumrah bowled 151.2 overs across those five Tests, only behind Pat Cummins (167), Mohammed Siraj (157.1) and Mitchell Starc (153.2).
There is still no update on the extent of his injury, but Bumrah is unlikely to feature in the home white-ball series against England, starting on January 22. The two teams are scheduled to play five T20Is and three ODIs before the Champions Trophy, which will get underway on February 19. The Men in Blue would want their paceman to be fully fit for the 50-over competition.
Talking about Bumrah’s workload management, former India seamer Balwinder Sandhu, 1983 World Cup-winner, said a bowler should at least bowl 15-20 overs in an innings, and if he can’t do that, he shouldn’t be playing international cricket.
"Workload? How many overs did he bowl? 150-something, right? But in how many matches or innings? Five matches or nine innings, correct? That comes down to 16 overs per innings or 30 overs per match. And he didn’t bowl those 15-plus overs in one go. He bowled in spells,” Sandhu told the Times of India.
“So, is it a big deal? Workload management is bull****. These are Australian terms, created by Australians. Workload management is nothing. I don’t agree with this. I come from an era when cricketers used to listen to their bodies and no one else. I don’t agree with this at all.
"Bowling 15 overs in a day, and that too in different spells, is not a big deal for a bowler. You’re not bowling on all five days of a Test match. He took three or four spells to bowl those overs. Today, you have the best physios, the best masseurs, and excellent doctors to take care of your body. If a bowler can’t bowl 20 overs in an innings, he should forget about playing for India.
“If you want to represent India, you should have the strength to bowl at least 20 overs in an innings. If you can’t, then it’s better to go back and play T20s, where you only need to bowl four overs. Even those four overs are bowled in three spells,” the 68-year-old concluded.
"We used to bowl 25–30 overs in a day. Kapil (Dev) has bowled long spells throughout his career. Your body and muscles get conditioned when you bowl, bowl, and bowl. So, I don’t agree with this workload management concept.”
