Legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar has urged star India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah to focus on shorter formats of the game. Bumrah is arguably the best all format bowler in the world at the moment, but his injury record is not the best. He single-handed won India the first Test against Australia in Perth last month, returning match-figures of 8/72. He bagged another four-wicket haul in the first innings of the 2nd Test last week, but India went on to lose the match.
Despite his impeccable record in Test cricket, Akhtar made a weird remark that Bumrah lacks pace to succeed furhter in the format. He suggested that even if Bumrah manages to add that extra injection of pace in his bowling, the chances of him picking up injuries will only increase.
“You know, in Test cricket, you have to bowl longer spells. The batters don’t try to attack you, so length becomes irrelevant. You struggle if the ball doesn’t seam then. When you start struggling, the team will start questioning. I think he is a good enough fast bowler to take wickets in Test cricket,” Akhtar said on TNKS Podcast.
Akhtar said that if he was in Bumrah’s position, he would focus on playing white-ball cricket.
“Although he didn’t do much in the Test series against New Zealand, it happens. But if he wants to continue playing Test cricket, he has to increase pace. With the injection of increasing pace, he has a high risk of getting injured. If I was Jasprit Bumrah, I’d stick to shorter formats. It only depends on how I feel,” he added.
Since making his Test debut in 2018, Bumrah has been pivotal in the team’s rise in the format, most importantly under the leadership of Virat Kohli.
In 42 Tests (before the ongoing game in Brisbane), he has picked up 185 wickets, including 11 five-wicket hauls.
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