Srinagar: Australia pace legend Glenn McGrath has given a valuable advice to injury prone Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah ahead of Indian pacers long awaited comeback.
During last four years, Bumrah has injured himself multiple times, thumb injury in 2018, lower back stress fracture in 2019, abdominal strain in 2020-21, and the most-recent and career-threatening of them all – a second stress fracture in the back sidelining him for almost a year.
“He (Bumrah) has been incredible for India. His bowling stats, the wickets he has taken, and the way he bowls, I am a big fan but his bowling action puts a lot of stress on his body. So he needs to stay strong and fit. If he does that he could play for a few more years,” McGrath was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times on the sidelines of an a fast-bowling camp organised by the MRF Pace Foundation.
“With the current international schedule and the IPL, there is no off-season anymore for a fast bowler, especially for someone like Jasprit, who needs an off-season to pull his strength back in. So that’s a decision he needs to make himself (on whether to give up on one of the formats). It is getting harder to play all three formats. That is something Jasprit will have to think about moving forward because what he does is unique and is quite tough on his body too. I think he has a lot more to offer for the rest of his career.”
“There is a lot of cricket played these days. It puts a strain on your body, but you have to know how to recover and find time to put strength back on your body. Guys like James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Courtney Walsh played for many years as they knew how to manage their bodies. I worked hard on my fitness, and I had an easy action which made my comeback from Injury easier,” the former Aussie quick added.