Jasprit Bumrah’s longevity in the game is yet to be determined, states Richard Hadlee
Hadlee questioned Bumrah's longevity
|Former New Zealand skipper Richard Hadlee has stated that Jasprit Bumrah’s longevity in the game is yet to be determined and insisted that he is vulnerable to injuries. Alongside that, he pointed out India’s rise in world cricket while adding that expectations on Kohli to win is enormous.
Since making his red-ball international debut in 2018, Jasprit Bumrah has bowled 679 overs in his Test career, picking up 83 wickets, at an average of 22.1. In the short span of three years, the pacer has emerged from the shadows and established himself as India’s lead bowler, with his performance helping the side to multiple Test wins over Australia.
However, if there is one thing that has stopped Bumrah in the recent past, it has been the workload and the injuries. His bowling action, often viewed as quirky and tough, has been criticised immensely by former cricketers due to its tendency to spark injuries. Former New Zealand cricketer Richard Hadlee stated that Bumrah’s longevity in the game is something that is yet to be determined. He also reckoned that Bumrah could be more vulnerable to injury than others who have a smoother bowling action.
“Jasprit's longevity in the game is yet to be determined. I suspect he could be more vulnerable to injury problems than those fast bowlers with more classical and 'pure' actions or techniques. Some of his potential injuries could be severe because of the stresses and strains he places on his body. I hope any injuries he may incur will not be potentially career-ending because he is a delight to watch, and he causes batsmen all sorts of problems with his unsuspecting pace, bounce, and ball movement in the air and off the pitch,” Hadlee told Times of India.
While insisting that Bumrah’s technique is unorthodox but heavily effective, Hadlee stated that the pacer’s technique is something that is very difficult to coach. He also added that teaching it to youngsters could cause them problems with injuries, due to the uncanny action.
“Jasprit fits into the unorthodox bowling category with virtually no run up to the crease. His technique in some ways defies belief but has proved to be highly effective. It would be very difficult to coach his technique to an aspiring fast bowler and I think a coach would refrain from doing from that because biomechanically it could cause problems with injury.”
Hadlee also had high praise for the Indian team, who he opined produces a lot of revenue for world cricket. Not just that, he also pointed out that without India, the face of world cricket would be starkly different.
“There is no doubt India produces a lot of revenue for cricket. Without India, the face of world cricket would be very different, therefore cricket needs India. But India has also made an outstanding contribution to Test cricket - like in all formats.”
While praising India, the former New Zealand all-rounder mentioned the influence of Virat Kohli on the setup, stating that the skipper has high pressure and expectations on him to win. Hadlee aslo reckoned that Kohli is a world-class player and a delight to watch.
“I see Virat as being a very passionate and competitive cricketer with a strong desire for himself and the team to succeed. He is a proud man and a world class player - a delight to watch. The pressure and expectations on him to 'win' is enormous. Millions idolize him, which puts great pressure on him.”
