Jasprit Bumrah Tipped To 'Retire' As Ex-India Star Claims: "His Body Has..."
Prior to the start of the series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will only play three of the five Tests in England.
- Mohammed Kaif suggested Jasprit Bumrah might retire from Test cricket due to workload struggles
- Bumrah has taken 13 wickets but showed reduced pace in the ongoing Manchester Test against England
- "He might even take retirement. He is struggling with his body. His body has given up," said Kaif
Former India batter Mohammed Kaif has claimed that star pacer Jasprit Bumrah might retire from Test cricket, amid struggles over his workload in the ongoing series against England. Bumrah, who has picked 13 wickets so far, has looked like a shadow of the player he is in the ongoing Manchester Test. Taking to social media platform X, Kaif claimed that the Indian team might need to prepare for life without Bumrah in the longest format of the game. Prior to the start of the series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had confirmed that Bumrah will only play three of the five Tests in England.
"Jasprit Bumrah, I don't think you will see him playing in the upcoming test matches. And he might even take retirement. He is struggling with his body. His body has totally given up. His speeds have been on the lower side in the Manchester Test. There is no speed in this Test match," said Kaif in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Kaif suggested that if Bumrah feels that his performances have not been upto the mark, he might give up playing Test cricket.
"And he is a selfless person. If he feels that he is not able to give 100 per cent for the country, that he is not able to win the match, that he is not getting the wickets, then he himself will refuse. This is my gut feel," he added.
Concerns deepened when Bumrah was seen clutching his ankle during the second session, though he did return to bowl later in the day. Even the commentators noted that he appeared to be holding back, bowling within himself and approaching the crease cautiously.
With Bumrah already scheduled to feature in only three of the five Tests due to workload management, Kaif suggested that fans may need to start adjusting to the prospect of seeing less of him in the longest format moving forward.
"There is no doubt about his passion and commitment, but he is losing out on his body. His non-performance in this Test, clearly speaks that he will have problems in playing Test matches ahead and might not even play in Tests. After Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ashwin, the Indian fans have to prepare themselves for playing without Bumrah. I hope my prediction comes out wrong, but what I saw is what I'm speaking of," the former batter added.
(With IANS Inputs)
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Jasprit Bumrah