Former Indian pacer Karsan Ghavri has advised the Indian ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah to take a break for five to six months or even a year to get back to his 100 per cent fitness and be available for the national team.
Bumrah has been ruled out of the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka due to a knee injury, which he sustained during the second ODI against England in the recently concluded three-match series, which India lost by 1-2.
“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,” Karsan Ghavri told Mid-day.
Furthermore, Ghavri also asserted that pacers like Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been playing consistently without any major injuries, adding that the veteran duo should be considered for the national return.
“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.
On the other hand, another former Indian pacer, Raju Kulkarni, reckoned that Bumrah shouldn’t play all three formats, adding that the longest format of the game should be his major priority for the time being.
“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,” Raju Kulkarni said.
