India’s former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed how Jasprit Bumrah’s workload should be managed by the team’s think tank on the England tour. Bumrah had suffered a back injury in the first innings of fifth Test match against Australia at Sydney and he could not bowl in the second innings.
The ace pacer was brilliant throughout the tour, taking 32 wickets in five games at a stunning average of 13.06. Earlier, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had revealed that Bumrah would not play all five Test matches on the England tour.
“We haven’t really made use of sports science and technology when it comes to Bumrah,” Ashwin said in an interview with RevSportz. “At the moment, it is all very subjective. In Australia also, it wasn’t until Melbourne that Jassi said he was tired and his body wasn’t giving more. Thereafter, he broke down in Sydney. There are some real lessons here. And that’s what will define how you use him in England.”
“See, it is subjective to say he will play three Tests or four Tests. Why not two, and why not four? Now, we can measure everything, and then when you add to it how the player is feeling, you can come to a near-perfect assessment of where you stand with Jassi.
Ashwin revealed that Bumrah’s workload should be monitored after every single training session and every Test match.
“Let me explain – you should measure his body parameters every day at training. Every single session should be monitored. And then, you should monitor him in matches as well. If you do it every day, you have clear markers how his body is, at what speed he is running in, and all that you need to know. Then, ask him how he is feeling and you will know clearly when to give him a break or when to slow down.
“For example, if you see his body parameters changing at the end of two Test matches, you know clearly that you need to be more careful. That’s when you need to tell him or ask him if he is feeling anything. If he says no, you can continue but you need to closely monitor things. Also, he knows that way that he needs to say it the moment he feels something wrong.
“With sports science, all of this is possible. The truth is you should not base things on subjective assessment. Suppose he doesn’t feel anything at the end of two Tests, would you still rest him? If he does feel something at the end of the Leeds Test, would you still want to play him at Edgbaston?
“These are critical calls for India, and could go on to define the series. Had Jassi been there in Sydney, India could have won that match. So how you manage him will have a huge bearing on the outcome of the contest.”
The opening Test match between India and England will be played at Leeds, Headingley, from June 20 onwards.
