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Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar defended the management of the Indian cricket team after Jasprit Bumrah was forced to miss the second innings of the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) due to a spasm in the back.
Despite India’s 1-3 defeat in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah had a remarkable tour of Australia, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with an incredible 32 wickets at an average of 13.06 and winning the Player of the Series award.
Sunil Gavaskar defends management’s handling of Jasprit Bumrah’s Indian cricket team on Australia tour
However, due to a back spasm, the 31-year-old pacer was unable to play in the second innings, and it proved costly for the Indian team as Australia easily chased down 162 in just 27 overs, with six wickets in hand, to achieve it. the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy by winning the Test series 3-1 at home.
Amid heavy criticism of Jasprit Bumrah’s overwork during the five-match Test series, Sunil Gavaskar stated that the Indian cricket team management acted in the best interest of the team as the absence of the ace-scorer at key moments could have worsened his position.
Notably, Jasprit Bumrah bowled over 53 overs in two innings in the Boxing Day Test, taking eight wickets to keep India in the contest. Having already bowled over 141 overs in the first four Tests, the Indian pacer managed just 10 overs in the first innings of the Sydney Test before being forced off the field due to injury, which led many to blame the management for the situation. .
They did what was best for the team – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar was quoted by India Today as saying, “I think they did what was best for the team, because without him, India wouldn’t have been in any position in the series. And so when you have a player of bowling that he’s taking wickets, you tend to overshoot him to some extent, and that’s totally understandable.
“I don’t think we can blame the team management for that because they and Bumrah were just looking to do what was good for the team at that particular time.”
Former Indian captain and one of the great batsmen, Gavaskar, admitted that Bumrah’s heavy workload, especially on the fourth day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, really took its toll on his body. He also mentioned how Bumrah asked Rohit Sharma not to use him at the MCG.
Sunil Gavaskar admits the burden just got a little too high on Jasprit Bumrah
The legendary cricketer further noted: “I think what really took the load off him was the fourth day in Melbourne where he bowled eight to nine different outings over three to four overs. And I think that really went affect his body. And there was actually a video of him saying to Rohit Sharma, ‘Ab bass ho gaya’, which actually tells you that even for a man who likes to bowl, a who likes to take wickets for in India, the burden was just a little too much.”
He signed off by saying that Bumrah is a very dedicated cricketer, and if he had been a bit able to bowl, he would have bowled, and he expected that he would bowl at least four or five balls at the start. , and that would have made a huge difference, but that couldn’t happen.
