New Delhi
Australia captured the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 3-1. Australia may have won the series, but Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah got the Player of the Series award. Bumrah took 32 wickets in the series. Bumrah single-handedly defeated the Australian team. The last Test match of the series was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Bumrah could not bowl in the second innings due to injury. Former cricketer Balwinder Sandhu did not like this thing of Bumrah at all. This fast bowler, who played an important role in making the Indian team the world champion in 1983, said that talks about workload have started happening now and in earlier times, fast bowlers used to bowl more than this.
Sandhu said, ‘Workload? How many overs did he bowl? Around 150, right? But in how many innings? In 9 innings of five matches, right? If seen this way, about 16 overs per innings or 30 overs per match. He did not bowl continuously, he bowled in different spells. Workload management is nonsense, it’s an Australian term, and it’s a bunch of Australians making it up. I find this a useless thing.
Sandhu further said, ‘I have played in a time where cricketers listened to their bodies and no one else. I find all these things useless. Bowling 15 overs in a day and that too in different spells, is not a big deal for a bowler. He bowled those overs in three-four spells. In today’s time, players have the best physios, best masseurs, and best doctors, who can take best care of your body. If a bowler cannot bowl even 20 overs in an innings, then he should forget playing for India. We used to bowl 25-30 overs a day. Kapil Dev has bowled long spells throughout his career. When you bowl, you build muscles, so I don’t understand the workload management concept.
