Follow UsJasprit Bumrah was out of action for three months after sustaining yet another back injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The ace paceman made his return during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and has looked invincible since then.
With other bowlers being way below par, India have been “overusing” Bumrah in red-ball cricket, and that eventually led to his injury. The 31-year-old has already informed the Indian management that he will play only three out of the five Tests against England, as many believe another serious back injury could end his Test career.
“I can't control what people write. Nor am I trying to teach people what to write and what not to write about me. Everybody is free to write what they want. I understand cricket is very popular in our country, and I understand that using my name in the headline boosts the viewership,” said Bumrah after claiming yet another five-wicket haul, this time against England at Headingley.
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“But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter to me. Because if I let it get into my head, I will start believing it. I need my beliefs and my ways to dictate how I go. Not the way others want me to play.
"I always wanted to play for India. I played for India on my belief. I have played every format on my belief. I have always heard 'no' from people. First they said 'you won't be able to play'; then they said 'you will last only six months'; then they said 'you will last only eight months', and just like that I have spent ten years in international cricket listening to all this. I have played the IPL for 12-13 years.
"Even now people keep saying this injury will be it. Keep waiting, I will not think about that. I will keep doing my work. Every three-four months there will be headlines but, let's see, I will play till it is in my destiny. I prepare my best and leave the rest to god. Whatever barkat (abundance or good fortune) god has given me, I try to carry it forward and try to take Indian cricket forward."
Having Bumrah in the XI is India’s best chance of winning a Test in England, and the Men in Blue would want to capitalise on that. The paceman, however, wants to take it one game at a time. "You don't look at what is going to happen in the future. You are there on the ground at that moment. You have to do a job. So at that moment I'm trying to assess the wicket.
"I'm trying to assess what is happening, what my options are, how the wicket is behaving, who the batter is, what he is thinking, and how I can outsmart him or what I can do. I look at all of those things at that moment. I was not thinking about what will happen or how many games I will play. At this moment, I'm focusing on the Test match. When the match is over, then I will think about all these permutations and combinations.
"I ask myself this question at night, did I give my absolute best? If the answer is yes, I quietly go to sleep."