India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been away from international cricket for almost a year now. He missed the Asia Cup 2022, the T20 World Cup 2022 and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season due to a recurring back injury.
Bumrah underwent back surgery in March this year and then had extended rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
The right-arm quick is all set to make his comeback to the national team during the upcoming T20I tour of Ireland. He has been named captain for the three-match T20I series, starting August 18.
Ahead of his long-awaited return, Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath has offered a few suggestions to Bumrah to ensure a run free of troubles.
McGrath pointed out that Bumrah’s unorthodox bowling action puts undue stress on his body and cautioned him to prioritize his fitness to reduce the chances of injury.
“He (Bumrah) has been incredible for India. His bowling stats, the wickets he has taken, and the way he bowls, I am a big fan but his bowling action puts a lot of stress on his body. So he needs to stay strong and fit. If he does that he could play for a few more years,” McGrath said on the sidelines of a fast-bowling camp organised by the MRF Pace Foundation.
McGrath wants Bumrah to be more selective about the games he’d play and the one’s he’d better not, considering the amount of cricket these days.
“With the current international schedule and the IPL, there is no off-season anymore for a fast bowler, especially for someone like Jasprit, who needs an off-season to pull his strength back in. So that’s a decision he needs to make himself (on whether to give up on one of the formats). It is getting harder to play all three formats. That is something Jasprit will have to think about moving forward because what he does is unique and is quite tough on his body too. I think he has a lot more to offer for the rest of his career,” he added.
The Aussie cited the example of a few successful pacers, who have had long careers without being troubled by successive injuries, and asked Bumrah to draw inspiration from them.
“There is a lot of cricket played these days. It puts a strain on your body, but you have to know how to recover and find time to put strength back on your body. Guys like James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Courtney Walsh played for many years as they knew how to manage their bodies. I worked hard on my fitness, and I had an easy action which made my comeback from Injury easier."
(Firstpost Inputs)
