Gambhir told 'Jasprit Bumrah not the headache' after Ajit Agarkar's disclosure: 'I am afraid he won't be ready...'
The new-look Indian Test Team, who have massive boots to fill after the sudden retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma last month, is staring at another major challenger come the England series, starting later this month, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar declaring that Jasprit Bumrah won't be able to play all five matches in the contest owing to his workload management. India head coach Gautam Gambhir also addressed the issue in the pre-departure presser on Wednesday, saying the management has yet to decide which Tests he will play. But former India bowling coach Bharat Arun felt the problem lay elsewhere.
Bumrah had suffered back spasms earlier this year, which saw him miss the Champions Trophy and the start of the IPL 2025. It was the second time in his career that a back injury kept him on the sidelines this long that he missed an ICC tournament. With explicit instruction from the BCCI medical team and the physios, Agarkar said that Bumrah "won't be available for all five Tests."
Speaking to RevSportz, Arun reckoned that sometimes, even less bowling can cause an injury to a bowler. Hence, he advised a toned-down practice session before the Test series.
"See, it is such that too much bowling and too little bowling, both cause injuries. They are a perfect recipe for some bowler to get injured. So, obviously, we cannot control the number of overs that Jasprit Bumrah bowls in a match," he said.
"But according to the number of overs he bowls in the match, the practice sessions can be toned down for him where he needs to be working on his recovery. It can be a strength training session in the gym or some recovery work with the physios. So, handling him will be very crucial. And as you rightly mentioned, Bumrah's presence in the team adds a huge value. Not only he does well, he rallies the other bowlers."
Arun also stressed the need for other bowlers to step up to reduce Bumrah's workload, which was precisely what happened in the tour of Australia. Amid meagre returns from supporting bowlers, Bumrah was over-relied on at times, resulting in an increase in workload, which subsequently led to the injury on the second day of the Sydney Test.
Bharat added: "The confidence which they ride in with Jasprit Bumrah being in the side would definitely add a lot of value to this team. So, ideally, I would expect him to play all the Test matches. If there is very good support from the other bowlers, Bumrah can be preserved and play in all the five Test matches.
"If he is going to be bowling, taking a lot of the workload, then I am afraid he will not be ready for all the five Tests. So, how the other bowlers support him becomes very vital. So, we've got to take it as you go, rather than saying he is good for first three Test matches, then you need to give him a break. The other bowlers can help Bumrah play in all the Test matches if they are bowling really well."
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