Sanjay Manjrekar, a former cricketer turned commentator, feels it’s a big issue that Indian fast bowlers can’t stay fit for long. He wants it to be addressed.
India are 1-2 down in the five-match series and are in a must-win situation. The team has been hit by injuries before the Manchester game on Wednesday. Akash Deep, who played a key role in India’s Test win at Edgbaston, is down with a groin injury. Arshdeep Singh, yet to play his first Test, hurt his hand in practice. Anshul Kamboj has been sent to Manchester to add to the team’s fast bowling options.
Before this, Akash was already out of action due to an earlier injury. He played two Tests in Australia and then suffered a back injury that kept him out for three months. He returned to play for Lucknow Super Giants in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day, There are young, untested but talented fast bowlers available. Arshdeep and Anshul Kamboj are good options. I also liked Harshit Rana in his one Test in Australia. There will always be fast bowlers around, but this is the situation we’re in.
Manjrekar called Akash’s injury a glaring example of the current injury problems among Indian fast bowlers. Besides Akash, Jasprit Bumrah, one of the best, won’t play all five Tests to manage his workload.
This caution around Bumrah comes from a stress reaction in his back during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney in January. So Bumrah, 31, will play only three of the five Tests.
Mayank Yadav, another talented one, also missed out on a chance to show his pace. His IPL was cut short after four games due to a side strain. Then he had another injury while recovering and that delayed his return. Though he got back in shape and played against Bangladesh in T20s, another injury stopped him in his tracks.Yadav, 22, was bought for a big price of Rs 11 crore in the IPL auction. He recovered at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. After two games, the 23-year-old was out again due to a back injury.
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Manjrekar added, With the IPL, white-ball cricket and Tests, our fast bowlers just aren’t staying fit long enough. Akash Deep is a classic example. It’s not like he’s bowled too much this season, so managing his fitness or workload wasn’t handled well.
He concluded, It’s become a big issue that Indian fast bowlers can’t stay fit and Indian cricket needs to address this. We see exciting young bowlers in the IPL but after a few games they disappear the next season. Someone needs to figure out why this is happening.
