Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness is something that most former head coaches of Indian cricket teams would love to comment on. Ravi Shastri, one such former coach, made his opinion known today as the Indian team prepared to leave for the Test series in England. These days, Shastri works as a commentator and is suggesting caution in managing the workload of Bumrah throughout the five-match series.
Bumrah is a deadly bowler, but he went through a rough patch after playing five consecutive Tests in Australia. He sustained an injury when he returned after having exhausted himself over the five matches and, finally, on the last day of the Sydney Test. Unfortunately for Bumrah, he missed the crucial Champions Trophy in 2025, which India won. After recovering, he made his return during the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Mumbai Indians after missing many matches.
Shastri believes that Bumrah should be managed sensitively. The preferred choice would be to have him play all of them; however, priority is given to health. Bumrah’s history of back issues is enough to make the management take extra care about his fitness and avoid overburdening him. I would be super careful with Bumrah, Shastri said. He suggested “Two matches at a time”. One could even say that he should be rested for the third Test to keep him in shape for the series’ duration. Starting him off really well, but there’s always this temptation to play him for all five, but it all depends on how his body reacts, he added.
Bumrah went a step further by stating that he must feel okay to say that he would take a little break if he started to feel something uncomfortable. He should be free to say, “Hey, I need a bit of a rest; I’m sensing something building up here.” Much of that kind of openness is very important, that’s what he added.
Looking ahead to the series in England, Shastri is hopeful about India’s prospects, provided all three – Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami, are fit and ready to take the field. “If we have all three of them firing, they’ll definitely pose a huge threat to England,” he stated.
Bumrah had the best performance during the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy by grabbing 32 wickets in five matches. His good form with the ball alone could not help India to win the series, ultimately ending up losing it 3-1. So far, this IPL season, he has played five matches and taken five wickets while maintaining an economy of 7.90. Overall, Shastri’s comments sum the balancing act between having star players like Bumrah on the field and the well-being of the team for the future.
