India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been itching to make a comeback to international cricket since he last played for the team in the shortest format of the game in a home series against Australia just before the start of the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. A back injury ruled him out of the marquee tournament and the Men in Blue had to draft Mohammed Shami into the squad for the same.
Bumrah had to undergo back surgery in New Zealand in April and has been undergoing rehab and trying hard to regain full fitness since then. The ace speedster is slated to make a comeback in a three-match T20I series to be played against Ireland starting August 18. He will also be leading the team as most of the senior players have been rested for the series, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya among others.
Meanwhile, former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath has shared a piece of valuable advice for Bumrah. McGrath admitted that he is a big fan of the India pacer but added that he needs to manage his workload well or else the kind of bowling action that he has will keep taking a toll on his body.
"He (Jasprit Bumrah) has been incredible for India. His bowling stats, the wickets he has taken, and the way he bowls, I am a big fan but his bowling action puts a lot of stress on his body. So he needs to stay strong and fit. If he does that he could play for a few more years," McGrath said during a fast-bowling camp organised by the MRF Pace Foundation.
McGrath stressed the fact that the 29-year-old pacer needs to decide carefully the formats and the tournaments he wants to play moving forward in his career. The Aussie legend also mentioned that the tearaway pacer has still a lot to offer in his playing career.
"With the current international schedule and the IPL, there is no off-season anymore for a fast bowler, especially for someone like Jasprit, who needs an off-season to pull his strength back in. So that's a decision he needs to make himself (on whether to give up on one of the formats). It is getting harder to play all three formats. That is something Jasprit will have to think about moving forward because what he does is unique and is quite tough on his body too. I think he has a lot more to offer for the rest of his career," told McGrath.
