Sourav Ganguly Issues Warning on Overuse of Jasprit Bumrah in England Test Series

Jasprit Bumrah is once again at the center of attention as India gets set for a tough five-match Test series in England. Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has come out with a strong message on how the star pacer has to be treated. With past injuries to Bumrah fresh in memory Ganguly has emphasized ensuring careful management of workload. He is of the opinion that the secret to extracting maximum out of Bumrah is not overworking him particularly with the trying conditions of England. Ganguly expressed these in an interview with Boria Majumdar on Revsportz emphasizing the way Bumrah should preferably only bowl 12 to 13 overs in a day. His opinion is plain Bumrah needs to be employed as a strike bowler and not be forced to bear the whole load of the pace attack.

India's team is getting into a new era with Shubman Gill becoming the youngest Test captain in Rohit Sharma's place. This series spells the start of a new chapter for the side with Gill set to take the side towards the World Test Championship title. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aside, the leadership now falls on the shoulders of the young ones. Ganguly feels that Gill needs to be intelligent in handling his bowling assets particularly someone as precious as Bumrah. In his view, Bumrah is not another speedster but a match-winner and his spells should be meticulously planned to have the maximum impact.

The workload of Bumrah's bowling is not only Ganguly's worry. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has already gone on record saying that Bumrah won't play back-to-back Tests. This is a part of a bigger plan to manage the bowler's fitness and have him available for the turning points. Bumrah had previously experienced a stress reaction in his back while playing against Australia in the Test match in Sydney. That injury kept him out of big tournaments like the Champions Trophy. He returned to competitive cricket with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL recently and appeared to be in good rhythm. Though the team management headed by head coach Gautam Gambhir has not yet finalized in which games Bumrah will be part of the playing eleven.

India's Test tour to England is going to physically challenging and Ganguly has stressed the importance of selecting four genuine fast bowlers. He said that besides Bumrah, others such as Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh will have to become the workhorses. Ganguly is not very certain about the contribution of players such as Nitish Reddy or Shardul Thakur although he feels that they could make a contribution with the bat. But winning Test matches is a matter of taking 20 wickets and for that he feels India should rely on specialists. He recommends having seven regular hitters and keeping pure bowlers to do the task with the ball.

Indian squad for the England series is replete with talented names. There are experience players like KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja and newcomers like Sai Sudharsan and Abhimanyu Easwaran alongside Gill. Rishabh Pant has been given a comeback role as vice-captain and wicketkeeper which provides more equilibrium to the team. The pace unit has some mix of youth and experience with Bumrah Siraj Arshdeep Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep all included in the starting line-up. Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar are spin bowling options and Shardul Thakur offers some all-round cover.

Although Bumrah is India's premier pace weapon there is little doubt that his injury record is an area that has had the team being careful. It is apparent that his comeback has been planned with great precision and each step will be watched with a hawk's eye. Ganguly's piece of advice to utilize him judiciously is based on years of experience and the necessity to prevent a repeat of a lengthy absence. For Gill and Gambhir it is planning each session keeping Bumrah's fitness in mind and avoiding the temptation of overusing him even during intense moments.

As India prepares to face the England Tests the focus will not only fall on Gill's captaincy but also on the management's strategy of rotation of the bowling team. England's pitches are used to assisting seamers but can also be exhausting particularly over five matches. This makes Ganguly's advice even more apt. He is keen that the team keeps Bumrah rested and employs him where he will matter the most as a bowler capable of turning matches around within one spell.

The tour poses a huge challenge for India's young core and the response it gets from them will determine the future of the Test team. With the big guns such as Kohli and Rohit sitting out the onus will now lie on upstarts to deliver. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal Karun Nair and Dhruv Jurel will get a chance to leave their mark on the big stage. In the meanwhile Bumrah's return is also being viewed as a massive morale booster but that comes with a rider that his availability should be managed with utmost caution.

It is tempting in such a long and crucial set of matches to go with your strongest bowlers but the intelligent thing to do would be to make them last the journey. Ganguly has set the blueprint and it is for Gill and Gambhir to tread the path. If they can control Bumrah effectively and push the rest of the bowling attack to deliver India may well dominate this series. Balance and intelligent decision-making off the field as well as on it will be the key. With such a richly gifted team and clear guidance from icons like Ganguly India goes into the England series with hope as well as caution.