"He's Only Spring Chicken": Legendary Pacer On Jasprit Bumrah's Injury

Jasprit Bumrah's injury concerns continue to worry the Indian cricket team. The pacer has been picked in the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, but his participation is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence. The pacer had suffered an impact injury to his knee during India's recent tour of England. He sustained the blow while fielding in the second ODI against the Three Lions in Cardiff. As Bumrah continues his recovery, Australia's pace bowling legend Glenn McGrath has suggested that the pacer needs to find a way to prolong his career. He termed the Indian fast bowler a "spring chicken".

"Well again it's up to him what he wants. How old's Bumrah now? 31-32? He's only a spring chicken. So he's got to find a way to have a bit of longevity. He's had a few injuries unfortunately, but he's class, a quality bowler. Just see what he wants to do. That's what it comes down to: whether he wants to focus on Test cricket or whether he just wants to play T20. It also depends on his body. And like I said, guys who hyper-extend their arm do place a bit more stress through that joint there. So we'll see what the future holds," McGrath, who is part of the MRF Pace Foundation, said on Monday.

McGrath is against the idea of resting fast bowlers too much and added that they need to adapt to handling the stresses of the role.

"It's the nature of the beast being a fast bowler; it's not a natural action, so injuries are part of the game. Where I'm a little disappointed these days, and it's probably been that way a little bit for a long time, is that they put them (fast bowlers) in cotton wool. We try to nurse them back to full fitness, and we protect them. The best way to do it is to get stronger than the stresses of fast bowling. To do a rehab program for months and months puts your fitness and your strength so far behind that you've got so far to catch up," the former Australia pacer concluded.

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Topics mentioned in this article

Australia Cricket Team Jasprit Bumrah Glenn McGrath Cricket India Cricket Team Sri Lanka Cricket Team