Jasprit Bumrah back injury updates are a secret, don’t push him hard, please

In the absence of official updates from the BCCI on the extent to Jasprit Bumrah’s back injury is, it has been left open to interpretation. Yet, one person who continues to tease fans and speaks of her husband coming back strongly is his wife, Sanjan Ganesan. Herself a TV anchor who knows cricket very well, she would be aware what is the back issue flare up. After all, in March 2023 had a back stress-fracture and was out of the sport for a long time.

It is well known fast bowlers need to be preserved. The BCCI selection committee which met in Mumbai on Saturday named the squad for the T20 series against England.  The ODI squad will be named later, though the suspense is over who all will make the cut for the Champions Trophy next month in Dubai. All kind of stories are doing the rounds, Bumrah has been advised rest, he will go to NCA in Bengaluru for rehab. Sadly, nobody has tried to dig deep and find out how serious the injury is. If there is a ‘swelling’ where is it, nobody knows. To not reveal the nature of injury is not in good taste. A man who almost single handedly made the difference for India in the BGT Series with 32 wickets is not being treated the way he should.

Wil it be asking for too much in terms of clarity on his back injury or is there something much more serious than a spasm. Or, maybe, Sanjana Ganesan will use her X handle to tell fans the truth one day. This is a bit similar to what Mohd Shami underwent. When he got injured during the ICC ODI World Cup in 2023, he was out for a long time. He had a surgery on his Achilles Heel in Britain. The rest, rehab and return process was hard. Shami was monitored for sure. Yet, when he was over-bowled in domestic cricket to prove his fitness, his left knee had swollen up. Shami must be relieved he is going to play for India. Mind you, Shami had also started posting videos on social media to tell the world he is fit.

There is no need to actually hide anything. A superstar like Jasprit Bumrah has now been talked of as someone ‘injury prone,’ and may miss the bus for Test leadership. It is distasteful Bumrah has been written about minus sensitivity. At 31, he cannot be playing every format in cricket.  He is a match-winner and can be devastating in red ball and white ball. The time has come when Bumrah has to be preserved like a treasure. His longevity is guaranteed, provided he is handled well. Workload management has failed in the 2024 season.

The worst part now is, people saying  Bumrah can bounce back for the latter part of the Champions Trophy! Nobody knows his recovery protocol, so how can any date be fixed on his return. See the replies to Sanjan’s tweets/posts on X, people are pleading he should not be rushed back. After the Champions Trophy, the IPL will begin. It would be madness to push Bumrah into it as well. If at all the jewel in Indian fast bowling has to be unleashed, it is the Test series in England. Here is hoping the BCCI think-tank will be mindful.