Ian Chappell warns India about Jasprit Bumrah's fitness with "cotton wool" statement

As India prepares for the highly anticipated Test tour of Australia, all eyes are on Jasprit Bumrah, the backbone of their pace attack. But with Bumrah’s history of injuries, there’s growing concern over how the Indian cricket team will manage their star bowler’s workload to ensure he remains fit for the grueling five-match Test series Down Under later this year.

Reacting to the same, the legendary Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has compared Bumrah’s situation to that of legendary pacer Dennis Lillee during the 1972 Ashes tour, where his fitness and form had to be precisely balanced by the Kangaroos.

Jasprit Bumrah has faced significant fitness challenges since his international debut in 2016. After suffering a back injury in September 2022, the bowler was sidelined for almost a year, missing key tournaments and leaving a big void in India’s bowling attack.

Ian Chappell expresses concerns over Jasprit Bumrah's workload management ahead of high-stakes Australia tour

His return in August 2023 was nothing short of extraordinary, but questions still loom about his ability to maintain peak performance while avoiding further injuries, keeping in mind the upcoming busy Test season.

Notably, Jasprit Bumrah, India’s most lethal fast bowler across the formats, was not given a break for the second Test against Bangladesh, starting on September 27 in Kanpur.

Reflecting on Lillee’s iconic approach to managing his workload, Chappell has emphasized that Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness will be a crucial element of India’s strategy heading into the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia later this year.

Just as Lillee insisted on staying in rhythm by taking wickets rather than resting precipitately, India faces the tough challenge of keeping Jasprit Bumrah match-fit without pushing him beyond his limits.

With the upcoming Test series against Australia being a high-stakes contest, the team management must navigate the fine line between maintaining his form and ensuring his physical well-being.

Chappell recalls Dennis Lillee’s workload management strategies to manage Jasprit Bumrah

Ian Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo: “At the start of the long tour, I suggested we might keep Lillee in cotton wool. He told me in very strong terms: 'Like a batsman, I need to be in form. When I take a five-wicket haul, you can talk about putting me in cotton wool.'”

Chappell added, “A critical part of India's build-up to the Australian tour will be ensuring Bumrah is in form but remains fit to play the bulk of the five Tests. The difficulty of balancing this task was summed up perfectly by Australian pace hero Dennis Lillee on the 1972 tour of the UK.”

Since India’s hopes rest heavily on Bumrah’s shoulders, the pressure is immense to have the star pacer firing on all cylinders without risking long-term damage in the upcoming Test matches.

If India can strike the right balance, Bumrah would be certainly the game-changer for Team India to continue their dominance on Australian soil in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

It would be ideal if the mercurial Mohammed Shami is fit for Australia tour: Chappell

Meanwhile, the former Australian captain believes that India's bowling attack would be significantly bolstered if Mohammed Shami is fully fit for the Australia tour, given his unpredictable yet impactful nature.

The legendary player further noted that adding a skilled left-arm pacer would also bring valuable variety to the team’s pace attack for the much-awaited Test series between India and Australia.

Chappell signed off by saying, “It would be ideal if the mercurial Mohammed Shami is fit for Australia, but the presence of a good left-arm paceman would also improve India's variety in attack. The spin bowling is in good hands with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Nevertheless, I wouldn't discount the importance of Kuldeep Yadav on some Australian surfaces.”