BCCI ordered to prepare Jasprit Bumrah for 'surgical strikes' ahead of Asia Cup with 'small team'
Published - 18 Jul 2025, 06:19 PM | Updated - 18 Jul 2025, 06:21 PM
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Amidst the chatter over Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management in England, India's former strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai shared how he managed and kept fit and firing the injury-prone fast bowler during his tenure with the national team.
Currently, there is uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the do-or-die fourth Test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, as the selectors have already made it clear that the pacer will play only three tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Soham Desai reveals why Team India is playing it safe with Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah has already played two Tests, and now only one game remains, so now he could play either the fourth or fifth Test against England. However, there are calls for the ace pacer to play both remaining Test matches to give India real chances to win the ongoing five-match Test series.
While the Indian think tank doesn’t want to risk Bumrah, as he was already injured on the Australia tour after playing all five Tests and missed the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Desai admitted that the Indian bowler needs a special kind of care and he can’t be treated like every other player.
The former strength and conditioning coach said that Bumrah has been seen as a rare talent ever since his early days in Gujarat cricket, but his career hasn’t been without challenges. Soham also admitted that keeping him ready for big matches is not an easy task at all, and behind his success is a careful and smart plan created by India’s fitness and support team over the years.
Jasprit Bumrah is special and a gifted guy: Soham Desai
Desai also revealed that injuries, especially to his back and knee, have forced India to think differently about how to manage Bumrah. He further mentioned that India prepares Bumrah for only the most important matches and plans his training carefully, and makes sure to have the same group of people handle his fitness over time.
Soham Desai was quoted as saying by The Indian Express: “I have been with him since 2014, when he was on RTP from his ACL injury, from his Gujarat Ranji Trophy days. He is special, a gifted guy who has worked immensely to become one of a kind. To manage guys like him, we need a cohesive, collective, and collaborative approach with a long-term vision driving the decisions and, ideally, with great consistency in personnel around him.”
Special task force behind Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness revealed
The former strength and conditioning coach also shared that a small and trusted team watches over Bumrah’s training and recovery, and their main goal is to get him ready for a few key series in a year, where he can deliver his best without risking injury.
He further explained, “The All Blacks, the famous rugby team of New Zealand, had only one S&C for more than a decade, and he oversees the prep for the guys even when they go to their states. One guy, one team, one approach, and one vision working through years. A similar thing happened with Pat Cummins. He faced several setbacks at the start of his career. Then he was pulled back, and one set of professionals worked on him for 2-4 seasons.”
Desai signed off by saying, “Bumrah is an asset and needs to be handled smartly. A small team needs to handle him, prepare him for surgical strikes a few times a year, and be smart around him at other times.”
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