Australia great Glenn McGrath called Jasprit Bumrah a ‘spring chicken’ — a term to suggest he’s still quite young — on Monday (July 27), saying the Indian pacer needs to find a way to elongate his career, possibly by reducing his exposure to one of the three formats.
Bumrah has been carefully managed since the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy where he was overworked over five Tests and ended up suffering a serious back stress injury. The BCCI selectors have refrained from deploying him in most ODIs, relatively less important bilateral T20I rubbers, and even series-deciding Tests.
As arguably India’s greatest ever fast-bowler, Bumrah’s importance to the team is immeasurable. The longer he plays, the longer would be India’s chances of domination.
“Well again it’s up to him what he wants,” McGrath, who is part of the MRF Pace Foundation, said. “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.”
Bumrah is doubtful to be named in the squad for the Test tour of Sri Lanka after suffering an ‘impact injury’ on his knee during the tour of the UK.
Prasidh to take over?
McGrath backed Prasidh Krishna, 30, to lead the transition post Mohammed Shami in the Indian team.
“I’m a big fan of Prasidh as well,” McGrath said. “It’s always a big ask to fill the shoes of Shami and Bumrah, so it’s always going to be a transitional period. From seeing him when he was here (MRF Pace Foundation) to watching him play IPL cricket, he just seemed to mature — his pace and just the way he was bowling, the way he held himself.
“He’s tall, bowls good areas, gets that bounce and pace. It’s the whole package, really. He was very much an enforcer when he bowled — just the way he went through the crease, the pace he was bowling at, the bounce, and the areas. Occasionally, he was a little bit short, but apart from that, he impressed me. He’s really developed and put his potential into action,” the former Australian fast bowler said.
