New Zealand great Sir Richard Hadlee called Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian pacer a delight to watch but also cautioned saying that his longevity in the game is yet to be determined. He felt given Bumrah’s unique bowling action may make him prone to injuries in coming years.
Bumrah, India's premier fast bowler in all three formats, has been consistently performing well for the Virat Kohli-led side, but Hadlee feels Bumrah's longevity in the game is yet to be determined since the fast bowler doesn't have a pure action.
"Jasprit's longevity in the game is yet to be determined. I suspect he could be more vulnerable to injury problems than those fast bowlers with more classical and 'pure' actions or techniques. Some of his potential injuries could be severe because of the stresses and strains he places on his body," Hadlee said in an official ICC media release.
"I hope any injuries he may incur will not be potentially career-ending because he is a delight to watch, and he causes batsmen all sorts of problems with his unsuspecting pace, bounce, and ball movement in the air and off the pitch," he added.
Richard Hadlee acknowledges India’s “outstanding contribution” to Test cricket
Hadlee, who was the first bowler to take 400 Test wickets, analyzed Bumrah’s bowling action and determined that Bumrah is a strength bowler who generates pace from his last part of the action.
"Jasprit fits into the unorthodox bowling category with virtually no run-up to the crease. His technique in some ways defies belief but has proved to be a highly effective one. He is what I call a shoulder or strength bowler with all his power and pace coming from the final part of his action as he releases the ball," said Hadlee.
“I think a coach would refrain from doing that because biomechanically it could cause problems with injury. However, I suspect some youngsters may try to imitate him. I believe you let aspiring young fast bowlers do it their way but help to fine-tune some skillsets and finer subtleties of bowling," he added.
Bumrah will be seen in action when India and New Zealand clash in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC), which begins on June 18.
(ANI inputs)
