New Delhi, Jan 14 (Agency) Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir feels the Indian team management needs to use its premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah judiciously and if required he should be given a break during the upcoming home series against England. Since IPL 2020, Bumrah has been playing non-stop cricket. However, he is likely to miss the series-decider fourth and final Test against Australia in Brisbane after suffering an abdominal strain during the third match in Sydney.
With India scheduled to play a lot of international cricket in the year ahead, Gambhir feels it would be unfair to force Bumrah to play in all the matches against England, starting February 5 in Chennai. ‘… you got to look after him (Bumrah) as well, because he is going to be the leader of the attack for a very long time, so him being fit is very important,’ Gambir said on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’. ‘So when India plays England in the 4-Test match series. I know, yes, Mohd Shami is unfit, Ishant Sharma is unfit, Umesh Yadav is unfit but you can’t afford to play Jasprit Bumrah in all the 4 Test matches, it will be very unfair on him,’ he added. Bumrah hasn’t played a Test match in India till now but the former opener feels that the pacer will be even more lethal in Indian conditions.
‘See again, he (Bumrah) hasn’t played a Test match in India till now, Has he? He hasn’t. So, I’m sure the Indian team management has looked after Jasprit Bumrah reasonably well. They have actually used him in places like England, South Africa and Australia, where he has got to be even more threatening,’ Gambhir said. ‘I’m not saying he is not going to be threatening in India. He is going to be even more threatening in India, where wickets can get low and slow and he can reverse the ball really well,’ he added. The former cricketer-turned-politician said Bumrah is a quality and dangerous bowler, who is threat for any batsmen at any given time of a match. ‘His quality! It’s just his quality and the lengths he bowls, and the amount of pressure he puts the batsman under. Whether he is bowling with an old ball or a new ball. From the time he started, the ball which goes away from the right hand and he is able to bring the ball back in, has made it even more dangerous,’ he said.