Indian captain Rohit Sharma said he has been very careful about managing Jasprit Bumrah’s workload in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. As Bumrah has been a lone warrior for the visitors, Rohit has relied more on his shoulders for regular breakthroughs.
Bumrah was once again the pick of the bowlers in the fourth Test at the MCG, which India lost by 184 runs to concede a 2-1 lead in the series. The gun fast bowler bagged nine wickets in the match but bowled 53.2 overs, which is the most he has bowled in a Test match.
Bumrah was sensational in 2024, picking 71 wickets in 26 innings at an unbelievable average of 14.92 and a strike rate of 30.1. The ace pacer has picked 30 wickets in the ongoing Test series against Australia at an average of 12.83 and a strike rate of 28.27.
Rohit Sharma said in the post-match press conference, “To be honest, he has bowled a lot of overs. There is no doubt about it. But again, every Test match we play, we keep that in mind. You know, the workloads of all the bowlers in fact. But again, if somebody is in such a great form, you want to try and maximize that form how much ever you can. And that is what we’ve been trying to do with Bumrah.”
“But there comes a time where you need to step back a little bit and give him that little bit of extra breather as well. So, we’ve been very careful. I’ve been very careful. I talk to him about how he feels and stuff like that. So, yeah. Those things should be managed carefully. And I’m trying to do that on the field,” Rohit added.
On the other hand, Rohit highlighted that Mohammed Siraj is bowling his heart out as he is giving his best. The Indian captain added that Akash Deep hasn’t had the rub of the green on his side despite bowling well.
“Look, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj are the frontline seamers…Siraj, especially, is bowling his heart out. I don’t think there’s anything else that he can do. Obviously, there are technical aspects of his game that he’s looking into. But other than that, in terms of his effort, his attitude, bowling those long spells, he’s always up there. It’s just that the wicket column doesn’t show how well he’s bowled.”
The fifth and final Test match between Australia and India will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 onwards.
