Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement from international cricket in December, opened up on Jasprit Bumrah’s availability in the five-match Test series against England. However, without the key players like Ashwin and Mohammed Shami, Bumrah has to lead India’s fast-bowling attack.
“We haven’t really made use of sports science and technology when it comes to Bumrah. At the moment, it is all very subjective. In Australia also, it wasn’t until Melbourne that Jassi said he was tired and his body wasn’t giving more. Thereafter, he broke down in Sydney. There are some real lessons here. And that’s what will define how you use him in England,” Ravichandran Ashwin told RevSportz.
“See, it is subjective to say he will play three Tests or four Tests. Why not two, and why not four? Now, we can measure everything, and then when you add to it how the player is feeling, you can come to a near-perfect assessment of where you stand with Jassi,” he added.
ALSO READ: “I did get a couple of hints” – AB de Villiers on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement
“Let me explain – you should measure his body parameters every day at training. Every single session should be monitored. And then, you should monitor him in matches as well. If you do it every day, you have clear markers how his body is, at what speed he is running in, and all that you need to know. Then, ask him how he is feeling and you will know clearly when to give him a break or when to slow down,” Ravichandran Ashwin shared.
“For example, if you see his body parameters changing at the end of two Test matches, you know clearly that you need to be more careful. That’s when you need to tell him or ask him if he is feeling anything. If he says no, you can continue, but you need to closely monitor things. Also, he knows that way that he needs to say it the moment he feels something wrong,” he added.
However, Jasprit Bumrah finished the series with 32 wickets against Australia, but he couldn’t prevent a 1-3 defeat and eventually missed India’s victorious Champions Trophy campaign as well.
“With sports science, all of this is possible. The truth is you should not base things on subjective assessment. Suppose he doesn’t feel anything at the end of two Tests, would you still rest him? If he does feel something at the end of the Leeds Test, would you still want to play him at Edgbaston? These are critical calls for India, and could go on to define the series. Had Jassi been there in Sydney, India could have won that match. So how you manage him will have a huge bearing on the outcome of the contest,” Ravichandran Ashwin concluded.
