Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath has blasted the team management for the poor handling of Jasprit Bumrah. The ace pacer is currently dealing with a recurring knee injury.
He has been ruled out of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting August 15. Bumrah was initially added to the squad, with his availability subject to fitness clearance, but he failed to get match-fit in time. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is focused on managing the pacer’s workload since a back injury he suffered in January last year, but the results have not been impressive.
Bumrah was ruled out of the final ODI in England last month due to an impact on his knee. As per multiple reports, the injury only aggravated his recurring knee issue.
Badrinath held the team’s captain, coach and selectors responsible for the poor management of Bumrah.
“I don’t know who made the decision. CoE will not make the selection, right? They will just say he is in this state and can play these matches and his body is in this state. But I think the captain, coach, and selectors are taking the decision. CoE only passes the information. They are not selectors,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.
Apart from Bumrah, the Indian team has also been dealing with injuries to other players. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, pacer Harshit Rana, spin all-rounder Washington Sundar and batter Sai Sudharsan are all currently out of action due to their respective injuries.
“I don’t have an immediate answer to the root cause of so many injuries. It is important to see what kind of injuries these are. At high-level professional sport, injuries are common. Sai Sudharsan got hit by a ball, while Bumrah has a chronic injury because of being overused, and fitness is not Sundar’s forte. He is injury-prone. His fitness needs a lot of work. Management and monitoring are very important. Injuries are bound to happen, and you cannot control them,” Badrinath concluded.