After producing a devastating spell in the first ODI against England, India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah said it is "difficult to manage workload" across three formats and added that is important to prioritise format on the basis of ICC event played in that particular year.
On Tuesday (July 12), Bumrah returned with his career-best ODI figures of 6 for 19 in 7.2 overs as India bowled out England for a paltry 110 and then chased down the target with 10 wickets in hand.
WATCH – Sanjana Ganesan trolls England team after hubby Jasprit Bumrah decimates hosts in 1st ODI
"It's a combination and it's not just about matches you pick. Like in a World Cup year, what is the format (T20 this year) that I need to give more priority and if it's a World Test Championship final year, the emphasis is on Test cricket," Bumrah said after the match.
"You have to check the calendar. We had missed a lot of series due to COVID in 2020-21 and so we are playing a lot of cricket back-to-back. So you need a lot of awareness and you discuss with trainers, physios and management and how you can keep yourself in best frame of mind when you are not playing any series," he added.
Bumrah, who would be taking a break during the ODIs in West Indies later this month, also provided a sneak peek into his workload management.
"It is difficult to manage workloads in all three formats. Only may be five days back we were playing Test cricket and then played T20 and now we are playing ODIs, so mental adjustment is needed," he said.
"You need to remain fresh and you need to take care of your body. At times, you have to sleep even for 9 or 10 hours than usual 8 hours of sleep. Recovery is very important as fast bowling is a strenuous job and takes its toll on the body."
Just like many of his teammates, Bumrah believes in "shutting the outside noise".
"Not making things too complicated and shutting the outside noise has worked for me. I don't get buoyed by praise nor do I get bogged down by criticism. I respect what people (experts) have to say but I don't take them seriously-- good or bad," Bumrah said when asked how he felt after former England skipper Nasser Hussain termed him as world's "best all format bowler".
"I live in present, because there is a lot of outside noise, your mind can be cluttered by lot of opinions and it can create confusion. So, it is important to stick to one's own evaluation about own's self, -- stay focussed on own preparation and tick all boxes required, if you do that -- like take care of your fitness, diet and whatever is within your control and the process you follow, then you accept the results (good or bad) you get, that gives stability."
While Bumrah is pleased with his success in the first ODI, he isn't overjoyed as he understands that there could be days when even his best efforts might go in vain.
"See, I don't look at end results and judge myself really. There have been occasions where I have bowled so much better than this and not gotten wickets but I always follow the same routine."
"Yes, today was a day when the white ball swung and there was some seam movement as I wanted to exploit that. After we started the innings, I had a conversation with (Mohammad) Shami bhai that we should go a little fuller and try and bowl the Test match length," Bumrah remarked.
(With PTI inputs)
