New Delhi: Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has received heavy criticism during the five-match Test series between India and England. The Men in Blue levelled
the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy after a thrilling six-run win in the fifth Test at the Oval in London.
Bumrah played only three Tests out of the five due to workload management, picking up 14 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls. In his absence, Mohammed Siraj stepped up and picked up fifers in the Edgbaston and the Oval Tests. He was the leading wicket-taker in the five-match series, taking 23 wickets
Bumrah participated in the first Test at Headingley, the third Test match at Lord’s, and the fourth in Manchester. Out of the three that the pacer played, India ended up losing two, and the Manchester Test ended in a draw.
‘I wonder how the BCCI is agreeing to all this’: Sandeep Patil
Several former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar, have criticised the fast bowler. The latest addition to the list is former India all-rounder and BCCI selector Sandeep Patil. He questioned BCCI’s stand on workload management and the role of physiotherapists in the selection of the team.
Sandeep Patil told Mid-day that when players are picked for the country, they die for the country, and he has seen Sunil Gavaskar bat on all five days of a match, and Kapil Dev bowl on most days of a Test match, and even bowl to them in the nets.
He further added that they never asked for breaks, never complained, and their careers extended to more than 16 years. I didn’t miss the next Test after my head injury in Australia in 1981.
“Workload management is nonsense. You are either fit or unfit, and that’s how we [his selection committee] picked teams. We did not entertain this workload business. Modern-day players have all the facilities. We did not have such rehab programmes in our playing days. At times, we carried on playing despite injuries. Let’s just say we were happy playing for the country… no naatak,” Patil added.
