Jasprit Bumrah has been part of many debates in the last few months, given the workload management he needs. The best pacer in the world has had some back injuries, and his body might not be equipped to take the rigours of every match that he plays. And for that reason, he played only three [...]
Jasprit Bumrah has been part of many debates in the last few months, given the workload management he needs. The best pacer in the world has had some back injuries, and his body might not be equipped to take the rigours of every match that he plays. And for that reason, he played only three Tests in England, and now has not been selected for the ODI series vs Australia.
Now, his bowling partner Mohammed Siraj has come out in his defence, saying Bumrah knows his body best, and knows what he is doing. "Bumrah bhai doesn't worry about outside opinion. He had a serious back injury and a big surgery. Had he bowled in that match, one can't say whether he would have bowled again or not, if he had broken down. It's that serious.
"That injury is very sensitive. His bowling action is very difficult. He is such an important bowler for India and his availability is so important - from Asia Cup to next year's World Cup and so on," Siraj said at The Idea Exchange by The Indian Express.
Mohammed Siraj added that Japrit Bumrah will play when he knows, he is fully fit. "Indian fans should understand that he is the backbone of the team and be rest assured that whenever possible, he will definitely play. Jassi bhai took the perfect decision." Bumrah's absence also meant, Siraj himself rose to the occasion and picked up 23 wickets in five matches, and was the highest wicket-taker in the series.
"When I landed in England, my aim was to become the highest wicket-taker there. That was my zone. During the whole series, I was mentally strong - I wanted to be 100 per cent fit, 100 per cent available, and play all five matches. My rhythm was also very good when I played the practice matches. When I found out that Jassi bhai was not going to play all the matches, since I was the second senior fast bowler in the team, I wanted to give my 100 per cent," added Siraj.