Former India cricketer Karsan Ghavri has made a huge remark on star pacer Jasprit Bumrah amid concerns over his workload and recurring fitness issues.
Bumrah, who was rested for the third and final ODI against England last month, will miss the upcoming two-match Test series as he is yet to recover from an impact injury. Speaking to Mid-Day, Ghavri urged Bumrah to take a break from the sport, suggesting that the player should work on his fitness for six months, or even a year, before resuming cricket.
Ghavri, who represented India at two World Cups, also urged the selectors not to pick Bumrah for a series or a major tournament if he is only half-fit, as it would make things even worse for the pacer.
“Bumrah should take a break for five to six months or even a year, and get back to 100 per cent fitness. The issue is that he goes into tournaments even if he’s half-fit and then, due to workload management, halfway through, there’s a breakdown. This is unnecessary. Only if he can manage his workload throughout a tournament should he be included in the team,” said Ghavri.
The 75-year-old former pacer also called for the return of veteran pacers Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, highlighting their exploits in the IPL over the past couple of seasons.
“Shami and Bhuvi have been playing consistently in the IPL without injuries and should return to the national set-up. Selectors should consider them. All fast bowlers face niggles or injuries, but Bumrah has been on and off for the last two-three years. He has hardly played an entire series. That’s not a good sign for him or for the country,” he added.
Ghavri said that while India can still use Bhuvneshwar’s experience in T20Is, he also urged the management to rotate between Shami and Mohammed Siraj in Test cricket to reduce the pressure on Bumrah.
“I don’t think Bumrah can sustain playing all formats. The team management must consider playing him only in Tests as that’s a critical format. Though he may want to play IPL, T20Is and ODIs too, it’s not viable. For this reason, it will be great if Mohammed Siraj can get the support of senior pacers like Shami and Bhuvi. Bhuvi should be used in T20Is because he’s done brilliantly in the IPL. And you can rotate Shami and Siraj in Tests. This will reduce the pressure on Bumrah,” said Ghavri.