Counted among the finest bowling talents to have emerged from India, Jasprit Bumrah has already established himself among the pantheons of fast bowling greats. His unorthodox bowling action leaves an immediate
impression but it’s the ability to trouble batters consistently that leaves a lasting impact. And his success across formats and opponents make him an invaluable asset.
No wonder Virat Kohli once called Bumrah “once-in-a-generation player”.
Despite that, the 31-year-old has been battling criticism, for some time now – both from former cricketers and from social media users, chiefly for his workload management.
Thanks to his history with injuries, the Indian team management has been quite careful with Bumrah’s workload to ensure he doesn’t break down again like he did midway through the fifth and final Test of India’s Australia tour in 2024-25.
As a result, he played in three of the five Tests in England earlier this year and sat out from the series-deciding contest at The Oval which India won on the final day by a close margin.
So, does the constant noise leave an impact?
“With him, he knows there is support from the coaches, the selectors and the BCCI who are managing his workload,” Manprit Juneja, who played alongside Bumrah for Gujarat, told The Indian Express. “At the same time, when some of the former players do question his integrity and stuff, it does affect him.”
However, a ‘mentally strong’ Bumrah knows how to not get affected fully aware of the constant scrutiny a top India cricketer is subjected to.
“…knowing him, he has always been a person who is strong mentally… so someone commenting about it or a random twitter handle going after him isn’t going to affect him one bit. He is a thorough professional who understands how all of it works,” Juneja said.
When away from cricket, Bumrah recharges his batteries by spending time with family, friends and playing video games.
“He (Bumrah) has a very close-knit group of friends from the housing society with whom he is still in touch,” Juneja said. “When he wants to switch off from the game completely, then they are his best support system.”
“He knows how to keep himself away from the noise. If there is time, he will play pickleball or ten-pin bowling. If none of us are available, he just relaxes at his PlayStation Den. He is very good at that. Of course all this is only beyond his family time. Since Angad came in, he has been his ultimate preference. He always puts his family first,” Juneja added.
