Key to Bumrah's longevity is the other bowlers around him: McGrath
As India gears up for the five-match Test series in England starting later this month, former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath feels India's pace attack needs to step up and reduce the burden on spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
'Bumrah looks like he's back to full fitness. He is a class bowler, there's no doubt about that, but they want him fit and staying on the paddock. So the key to Bumrah's longevity as well is the other bowlers around him,' said McGrath, who is in the city in his role as Director of Coaching at the MRF Pace Foundation.
'In Australia, he was a standout, but there wasn't a lot of support. It's important the others can bowl longer spells, which means Jasprit gets a bit more of a rest and they can use him a little bit better.'
The Australia legend also backed Prasidh Krishna as one bowler who can add teeth to India's pace attack. In the IPL this year, the Karnataka pacer leads the wicket charts (25) and was impressive for Gujarat Titans.
Impressive
'Prasidh Krishna has impressed me for a long time. I thought he should have bowled a little bit more in Australia. He has always had that potential. He looks fit and strong. I think he looks confident.'
'When you bowl, and you are starting to play Test cricket, and you're doing well in all formats of the game, that carries. He looks like he knows his game well, and he is confident. He has to keep backing himself and go out there and do the business,' the 55-year-old added.
The series against England will also usher in a new era, following the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and R. Ashwin. McGrath backed new Test captain Shubman Gill to do well.
'I know he has done better on home soil than abroad. And that's his next challenge. As captain, he wants to go over there and set the standard, especially in England, where it can be interesting. So, it's a challenge for him, but I think he's got good composure. I like his body language and the way he goes about it. I think he will be a good captain,' said McGrath.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
36 minutes ago
- The Print
Bengaluru stampede makes it clear—those managing IPL want the benefits without accountability
Strangely, all information regarding the victory parade came from RCB's marketing and revenue division. This is where the pettiness of a tournament like the IPL comes to the forefront. From a humanitarian point of view, it is difficult to understand the need for an instant celebratory roadshow. Usually, such events require careful planning—but not in this case. Most people consider the players, management, and franchise owners as the primary stakeholders of an IPL franchise. What often goes unnoticed are the marketing and promotion agencies operating behind the scenes. There is nothing legally or morally wrong in an agency promoting a team. The problem arises when such companies exert a vice-like grip on the image of the cricket franchise. Top IPL authorities, including the chairman, were quick to point out that the IPL Managing Committee and the BCCI had no role in the post-match celebrations of franchises. The Karnataka State Cricket Association also stated that it had no involvement in the roadshow organised to celebrate RCB's victory. The recent events following the 2025 Indian Premier League final must be viewed with greater sensitivity. It is important to mourn the loss of young lives—but even more important is to understand the causes behind the tragedy. Also read: IPL expansion will kill Test cricket. Players no longer care about playing for the country Promotion at all cost IPL franchises are in the grip of promotion agencies eager to instantly capitalise on the euphoria of a team's win. The economic agenda of these companies is driven purely by greed. They do not pause to consider the impact on the most important—and most powerless—stakeholder in Indian cricket: the fan. A desperate attempt was made to stage a hasty victory roadshow. It's not as if India is unaware of the dangers of crowd mismanagement and the risk of stampedes. What's sinister here is that the greed to capitalise on victory was so overpowering that even the potential loss of lives was ignored. There was absolutely no need for a rushed roadshow. The victory parade was announced without planning or consultation with local authorities or the police. The abuse of money power is evident—private charters were used to fly the victorious team back to their home city. It was a desperate, last-minute attempt to cash in on the moment in the most inhuman and insensitive way. The bitter truth about franchise cricket is that everything revolves around commerce. It's bizarre that the national anthem is played at a tournament that has nothing to do with the fortunes of cricketing nations. This, too, is the doing of marketing and promotion agencies whose sole aim is to boost the franchise's brand value. Also read: Here's why BCCI took IPL auction to Saudi Arabia—cricket is not the main course Ignoring the cricket fan The stampede in Bengaluru has made it clear: those managing the IPL want all the benefits without any accountability. No one wants to take responsibility for the tragic deaths of young, innocent cricket fans. The IPL is a mega-rich tournament, and there is enough money inside the BCCI's wallet. Yet the value of a die-hard cricket fan's life is pegged at just Rs 10 lakh. This shows how little the authorities value the biggest stakeholder in Indian cricket—the fan. It exposes how brutal and insensitive both the state and cricketing authorities have become toward those who support the game most passionately. Instead of recognising the sinister role of marketing agencies, the authorities respond with routine monetary compensation. Every tragedy is a chance to learn. This one should serve as an eye-opener for Indian cricket fans. Euphoria must not drive them into a frenzy. It's unlikely that celebrity cricketers or franchise owners will visit the homes of those who died. The emotions that fans display for franchises are not reciprocated. The real villains are those who exploit every opportunity to enhance commercial brand value. These are the people who insisted on a hasty celebration and emotionally manipulated millions of RCB fans, packing them into a 40,000-capacity stadium without proper preparation or planning. Kush Singh is a cricket writer who has closely followed the game over the past four decades. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
NDTV
39 minutes ago
- NDTV
Shreyas Iyer "Officially Joins" Captaincy Race: Indian Cricket's Influential Decision-Maker After IPL Show
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final, scoring 604 runs and showcasing his captaincy skills. Though they lost to RCB, his leadership potential is recognized, positioning him as a future contender for India's captaincy. Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings with great success at the IPL 2025 in his first year with the franchise. For the first-time since 2014, the franchise made it to the final and lost the title clash to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six runs. Iyer was PBKS' leading scorer with a tally of 604 in 17 matches. He scored six half-centuries and his 87* in the Qualifier 1 against Mumbai Indians will be talked about for a long time. He almost single-handedly rescued PBKS against MI and took them over the line. Now, according to a report in The Indian Express, quoting 'one of Indian cricket's influential decision-makers,' the rise of Iyer as a great captain is being considered biggest takeaway from the IPL 2025. "Right now he just plays ODIs but after this IPL we can't keep him out of T20 internationals and even Tests. Plus he also has now officially joined the white-ball captaincy race,' the official said. Currently, Rohit Sharma is the ODI captain while Suryakumar Yadav is the T20I captain. Shreyas Iyer has not been picked for India's Test series against England. He was a Knight in the shining armour for Kolkata in 2024 and in 2025, became the King who almost led Punjab to the crown. Shreyas Iyer's IPL season didn't end with the trophy but he well and truly established himself as the leader that India might need in the not-so-distant future. Iyer became the third skipper after Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to captain an IPL franchise to three finals and he did it with three different teams in the last five years. That's some range for a player, who astoundingly did not make the Indian Test team for the tour of England this month. KKR let him go last year as they didn't consider his demand for a higher retention fee to be just. Their loss was, needless to say, a massive gain for Punjab Kings. They got an astute captain and a passionate leader of the men in the 30-year-old, who knows a thing or two about handling the highs and lows of a career with grace. The jury is still out on Shubman Gill, who will face a trial by fire as captain in England. But after June 3, 2025, Shreyas Santosh Iyer should be rated as one of the best captains in Indian cricket. There is a Dhoni-like cool quotient, a Virat Kohli -like aggressive streak when the situation demands and also a ''Bindaas Mumbaikar in him just like his illustrious India teammate Rohit Sharma. "Job is still half done, we have to win it next year," Iyer's confidence shone through the disappointment of missing it this time by a mere six runs in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night. That he is not in the squad for England has surprised none more than his Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting. "I actually was he's accepted that really well and he's moved on," Ponting said on The ICC Review of Iyer, prior to the IPL Playoffs. "He's just got that real hunger in his eyes to do well every time that he plays for us here and wants to win games of cricket and wants to evolve and develop into the best leader and captain that he can be." Listen to the latest songs, only on
NDTV
39 minutes ago
- NDTV
Bengaluru Stampede: Top Karnataka Cricket Officials Resign Taking 'Moral Responsibility' For Fatal IPL Celebration
Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam have tendered their resignations 'owning moral responsibility' of the stampede that took place near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 at Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 title celebration. For the first time in IPL's 18-year history, RCB won the trophy but its taste turned sour after stampedes at the celebration parade killed 11 and injured close to 50. After the team's maiden IPL title celebrations in Bengaluru took a tragic turn, resulting in the deaths of 11 fans, the police have made four arrests in the case. Among those four people arrested is the franchise's marketing head, Nikhil Sosale. After that comes these high-profile resignations. "This is to inform that due to the unforeseen and unfortunate events that have unfolded in the last two days and though our role was very limited, but owing moral responsibility, we wish to state that last night we have tendered our resignation to our respective posts as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, by way of a letter dated 06.06.2025 to the President of Karnataka State Cricket Association. This is for your information. A. Shankar E.S. Jairam," a statement IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru announced a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the 11 supporters, who lost their lives in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team's victory celebrations . Lakhs of people turned out to catch a glimpse of Virat Kohli and Co. leading to complete chaos and eventually a stampede that caused the death of 11 people outside the stadium here on Wednesday. "The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family," said an RCB statement on Thursday. More than 50 people were also injured in the incident and the franchise said a fund is being set up to assist them. "As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of Rs 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident," it added. A magisterial inquiry is currently underway into the tragedy and its report is expected within the next fortnight. RCB has drawn widespread criticism for going ahead with the victory celebrations just a day after winning the trophy, denying the administration and police authorities enough time to arrange adequate security needed for an event of such magnitude. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has already questioned the lapses in arrangement on Wednesday and also stressed on the need for proper co-ordination between the franchise, the police and the district administration for smooth conduct of such a programme. He cited the seamless victory parade in Mumbai, which drew lakhs on to the streets, after India's T20 World Cup triumph last year as a case in point. RCB's social media team had invited people to the celebrations with a social media post but later withdrew it after the Bengaluru Traffic Police stated that it would be difficult to allow a victory parade given the congestion on the route. The parade was given the go ahead by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah but did not take place due to crowd chaos and rain. Former India wicketkeeper and Karnataka legend Syed Kirmani was scathing in his criticism while talking to India Today, calling it a "deadly welcome".
