Former India pacer and 1983 World Cup winner Balwinder Singh Sandhu thrashed the notion of Jasprit Bumrah being overbowled during the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. (More Cricket News)
The 31-y🅘ear-old had bowled over 151 overs across five Tests, that resulted in 32 wickets including 3 five-wicket hauls.
However, in the fifth and final Test at Sydney, Bumrah was forced to leave🌠 the field after bowling 10 overs in the first innings, handing the captaincy to Virat Kohl🃏i. Bumrah did not participate in the match with the ball.
With the back injury scar𒀰e and a history of stress facture behind him, rumours circulated around that the 31-year-old could be rested for the upcoming white ball series against England, to manage his workload.
However, former India bowler Balwinder Singh San🔯dhu has quashed the workload management claims, calling💝 them 'bulls**t'.
Talking to The Times Of India, Sandhu who represented India in 8 Tests and 22 ODIs, expressed h💃is displeasure towards Bumrah's situation and compared it to🌱 his hey days.
"Workload? How many overs did he bowl? 150-something, right? But in ho💦w many matches or innings? Five matches or nine innings, correct? That comes down to 16 overs per innings or 30 overs per match. He did not bowl 15+ overs in one go. He bowled in spells so, is it a big deal? Workload management is bulls*it," he said.
"These are Australian terms, created by Australians. Workload managem෴ent is nothing. I don't agree with this. I come from an era when cricketers used to listen to their bodies and no one else. I don'🅠t agree with this at all," he added.
He further♎ spoke on how Bumrah bowling 15 overs a day is no big deal and how the former cricketers toiled hard on the🍸 field in a single day.
"Bowling 15 overs in a day, and that too in different spells, is not a big deal for a bowler. You’re not bowling on all five days of a Test match. He took three or four spells to bowl those overs. Today, you have the best physios, the best masseurs, and excellent doctors to take care of your body. If a bowler can’t bowl 2🍌0 overs in an innings, he should forget about playing for India," he further added.
"We used to bowl 25–30 overs in 🎶a day. Kapil (Dev) has bowled long spells throughout his career. Your body and muscles get conditioned when you bowl, bowl, and bowl.
Sandhu added that if the pacer wants to play for India, he should be ready to bowl 20 overs in a day or else ꧟prefer to T20 cricket.
"If you want to represent India, you should have the strength to bowl at least 20 overs in an innings. If you can’t✤, then it’s better to go back and 💦play T20s, where you only need to bowl four overs. Even those four overs are bowled in three spells," he concluded.
Who Is Balwinder Sandhu?
Balwinder Singh Sandhu was part of the Indian cricket team that lifted the Worl🍃d Cup at ಞLord's in 1983. Sandhu was right arm medium pacer, and batted right-handed. He played 8 Tests and took 10 wickets, and represented India in 22 ODIs and scalped 16 wickets.
In the final against the West Indies, batting at No. 11, he scored an unbeaten 11 off 30 balls, added crucial runs wi🏅th Syed Kirmani for the last wicket, and gave India the dream start by removing Gordon Greenidge early.
