Veteran Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has defended Jasprit Bumrah amidst criticism of his workload management during the recent tour of England. Before the five-match Test series against England, was informed that Bumrah would play only three matches. As per plan, he rested for the fifth and last Test at The Oval, despite the series remaining in the balance.
Whereas Bumrah had a few five-wicket performances in his matches, he did not make much of an overall difference. Contrastingly, Mohammed Siraj proved to be India’s top bowler throughout the series as he played every match of the five and invariably bowled well.
After the conclusion of the series, some former Indian cricketers like Irfan Pathan, Sandeep Patil, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Mohammad Azharuddin had expressed dismay at Bumrah’s erratic availability, questioning his commitment as well as his strategy in managing his fitness.
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In reply, Harbhajan came out in support of the star pacer, underlining Bumrah’s professionalism and profound awareness of his own physical limitations, particularly after recovering from injury. He contended that the concept of “workload management” is not about skirting matches but managing the great responsibility fast bowlers have. Harbhajan highlighted that even though Siraj has lately picked up that responsibility well, it is unrealistic to expect him or any fast bowler for that matter to sustain that level throughout the year.
“I don’t know how much pain he (Jasprit Bumrah) is suffering from. But what I do know is that he is a very honest man. He knows about his body. He knows how much load his body can take and how much it can’t. He has just come back after an injury. A lot of them are asking what workload means. Workload means when a bowler like Bumrah bowls on his own like he did in Australia. That is called workload because he is taking the load of others as well,” Harbhajan said on Times of India.
“Siraj did it recently, but he can’t do that for a whole year. There can come a series when you feel like you need to put in the extra effort and need to take a toll on the body. Bumrah did that in Australia, and in the end, he broke down. Siraj took it as well, and let’s hope that he does not break down. I think a player’s honesty is most important in this regard,” he added.
