New India cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir’s philosophy over specialization could prove to be a bane more than a boon for key stars. The first in line to bear the brunt could be ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Gambhir strongly believes that any in-form player should opt to play all three formats of the game when in form, keeping aside workload management. And this could be a dangerous sign for the times to come.
Gambhir’s aggressive approach a bane for Bumrah?
Bumrah’s history with injuries is not unknown, given how India missed his services in important tournaments in the past. Yet, Gambhir asserts that he does not back the concept of players being labelled as a one-format player.
In an interview with Star Sports, Gambhir said “I am not a big believer in identifying people that we’re going to keep him for Test matches or other formats. We’re going to manage his injury and workload and stuff.”
Bumrah and his history of injuries
The ace speedster’s history of injuries is not unknown and it is in India’s best nature to not to take any risks when it comes to Bumrah. He was out for a long period of time in 2022-2023 after a lower back stress fracture, that he suffered primarily in 2019, resurfaced. He then underwent surgery in March 2023, and after four months of rehabilitation at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Boom Boom finally made his comeback in August 2023. Ever since then, the management has treaded very carefully when it comes to his workload management. Despite being unable to lead India to win in the ODI World Cup in 2023, he was one of the key performers for the side that lifted the T20 World Cup in 2024. A huge part of that credit goes to the BCCI for the effective workload management of the pacer. However, things could change with Gambhir taking charge.
What does GG’s approach mean for Bumrah?
However, Gambhir’s all three-format assertion could prove to be fatal for Bumrah. Despite being India’s best bowler across all three formats of the game, the team will depend on Bumrah to deliver at crucial junctures. With that being said, Gambhir’s approach could rather be an hinderance for the team as it could potentially take out the ace pacer, with the risk of injury increasing.
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