Room for recovery

One has to sympathise with Jasprit Bumrah for the painful condition he now is in. Rushed into a comeback last year for an inconsequential bilateral series at home after sustaining a back injury in the one-off Birmingham Test in July, the speedster has been rendered hors de combat.

As days grew into weeks and months, there is, finally, news emerging he will need a back surgery. The very thought of a surgical intervention on the back sends shivers down the spine of any patient. And for someone like Bumrah, this has become essential. His return to cricket has been much anticipated. There were hints that he would come back for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series against Australia, or the ODIs later. All that has turned out to be fiction as Bumrah is in no condition to play.

The BCCI, which has the worst PR system in place, has not bothered to provide regular updates on what has been the fast bowler’s fitness status. So, all the speculation on Bumrah making a return in the high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL) — the annual club cricket T20 extravaganza — was hogwash. The latest one hears is that Bumrah will be flown to New Zealand, according to Cricbuzz, where he will be operated upon. The name of the surgeon is mentioned as Rowan Schouten, a leading back and hip surgeon with excellent credentials in Auckland.

He has handled many sports persons before, including famous fast bowlers like Jofra Archer and Shane Bond. Bond is now the bowling coach of Mumbai Indians. The BCCI may have dragged its feet on what to do with the fast Indian bowler, whose bowling action was considered “risky” as it put pressure on the back. One has only read several reports that the NCA — National Cricket Academy — in Bengaluru has been monitoring the fitness and rehab of all athletes who get injured, including Bumrah.

It is one thing to manage minor injuries and flare-ups and quite another to handle a major issue like the human back. Certainly, the NCA is not some top-notch medical centre which can take a call. There has been a delay in getting a fix on what needs to be done with Bumrah’s back, which has millions of cricket fans worried. As a fast bowler with a jerky action, he has always been unpredictable in terms of pace and bounce he could extract from even flat pitches. His records speak for themselves, having played 30 Tests, 72 ODIs and 60 T20 internationals. Add to it the 120 matches he has played in the IPL till now, you can calculate how much he has over-bowled.

This is not the kind of workload you will subject a bowler to, who is fast, nippy and extracts bounce. Fast bowling, by nature, is hard work. The story goes that Indian pitches are graveyards for the speedsters though a certain legend answering to the name of Kapil Dev showed he could bowl on any track and get wickets. Comparisons with Kapil may be improper, for the winning captain of the World Cup in 1983 defined fitness, grace and longevity. Kapil was the quintessential all-rounder, who would bowl, bat and take brilliant catches. He was called Haryana Hurricane, a born, natural cricketer.

Bumrah’s strength has been his deceptive pace. Anyone who has watched him bowl will agree that he never had a long run up, or an action which was modelled on any particular fast bowler. It has not been a high-arm action, or one where his follow through would ensure he was not putting pressure on his back. Yet, Bumrah has been a terror as batters find it difficult to read him.

To be sure, the first man who was worried about Jasprit Bumrah’s action was none other than former Indian captain Mohd. Azharuddin. During an informal chat with this writer a few years ago, when Bumrah was a raging quick bowler, Azhar, sharp for his cricketing acumen, had pointed out that the jerky action could cause problems. Even the master with the red cherry, Michael Holding, a speedster par excellence and brilliant commentator (now retired), had pointed out Bumrah’s action was going to create problems. Holding had an action which was a marvel to watch, and he knew what he was talking about. Yet, if he had said on air something about Bumrah’s action, it was more out of concern.

Fast bowling is a thankless job. For the cricket fans who have watched different generations of fast bowlers emerge, from John Snow of high-arm classical action to Sir Richard Hadlee and then Pakistan’s Imran Khan, each one was different. The master with a beautiful action was Dennis Lille, whose aggro was awesome. He had dealt with a major back injury, got it wired and came back with determination of the highest order. There are no shortcuts for fast bowlers.

If there is a niggle, one has to attend to it. From the times of Lille and Hadlee to Imran Khan and Kapil Dev, the progression of fast bowlers has been fascinating. Imran Khan had a long run-up, generated great pace and produced movement even on dead tracks like Faisalabad. His long run up had put pressure on his shin, which led to stress fracture. That is why, in the later part of his career, Imran cut on his run-up and bowled shorter spells. Just to remind readers, he played the 1992 World Cup in Australia and won the trophy for Pakistan by playing as a pure batsman!

Ideally, someone in India would have pointed out to Bumrah that his action was going to create problems. Whether he heard it or not, none knows. However, the BCCI was ruthless in pushing him into play in all formats. Cricket in this era is non-stop, murderous. The term ‘workload management’ has great meaning, if understood properly. To have flogged Bumrah in all formats was a sin. The result is, he could go under the knife and then prepare for a long rehab which may take up to six months.

It is crazy to read the speculation if he will be fit for the ICC World Cup (ODI), to be held in India this October/November. Perhaps, the BCCI could have learnt from the example of all-rounder Hardik Pandya. His back, too, had packed up two years ago. Pandya was smart enough to get it operated and undergo a long and proper rehab. When he returned, it was only for batting. The same Pandya now has managed his condition well. He led the Gujarat franchise to the IPL title in 2022 and is now India’s T20 captain. He planned his return to ODI cricket as well, slowly. When a heartless hack recently asked if he wanted to play Test cricket, Pandya’s reply was smart. Pandya knows his strengths and limitations.

Each format of cricket today is demanding. Test cricket is pure, pristine, and powerful. The white-ball formats are hard on the bowlers. Bowl, field well, be ready for quick bursts and plenty of travel. Specifically looking at Bumrah, he will have to stay away from cricket. That is the least worry. As much as Indian cricket will miss him, he needs to be fully fit and then return.

At 29, Jasprit Bumrah has plenty of cricket left in him. Fast bowling, by nature, is hard work. But then there are so many examples of fast bowlers who have preserved themselves so beautifully. There is English legend James Anderson, almost 41, who still will be having a go at the Aussie batters in the Ashes. Having played 179 Tests and taken 685 wickets, he is the master of swing bowling, a delight to watch. He plans to continue playing for a few more years. Before this, Aussie cricket saw legend Glen McGrath bowl with great variety and control.

These two gentlemen had cut on pace, modified their bowling and were more nuanced. Swing bowling is an art and to psyche out batters is a mental game. It did not matter what the conditions were, bowlers like Anderson and McGrath were their own masters. McGrath played in 124 Tests and took 563 wickets. In ODIs, too, he played 250 matches to grab 381 wickets. Stats do not define greatness; they are a tool to point out how well a player performed.

Bumrah can take inspiration from these legends and come back. To say that the BCCI messed up with his treatment plan would be stating the obvious. Jasprit Bumrah is a national treasure. These days, medical advancements, coupled with best rehab, ensure full recovery. In any sport, athletes come back almost 100 per cent fit. Even in tennis, injury prone Rafael Nadal is back at the gym after busting his hip at the Australian Open this January.

The key is Bumrah has to come back after proper rest and recovery, and first bowl in first-class cricket. Do not press for him to come back straight into international cricket. Now Indian fans know why Mohd Shami was rested for the Indore Test. Workload management? Finally.