Jasprit Bumrah’s back is sounding alarm bells again, and Shane Bond, the former New Zealand fast-bowler, warned India about more complications.
With Bumrah sidelined since January after a grueling Test series in Australia, Bond has put India’s team management, including head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, on notice. He says they need to rethink how they handle their star pacer, or India could lose him.
Bumrah was a beast in Australia, bowling non-stop across all five Tests without a break. He has been recovering since. Mumbai Indians (MI) is sweating over the fitness of their speedster. Bond, who saw his own career cut short by injuries and worked with Bumrah during his stint with MI, knows the signs.
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"I don’t think so. He had the [2023] surgery, but he played all that [Australia] Test series, performed unbelievably. At the end of the day, he just bowled too much over a one-month period. And it hasn’t cracked, he hasn’t got a fracture, he is on the borderline of a fracture," Bond said as quoted to ESPNcricinfo.
Also read: IPL 2025: Good news for Mumbai Indians as Jasprit Bumrah back at NCA
In 2022, a similar back injury knocked Jasprit Bumrah out for nearly a year. He roared back, no doubt, but Bond is worried that history could repeat itself and things might get worse. India has a big summer ahead with five Tests in England, starting in June. Bond’s point is simple: don’t run Bumrah into the ground again.
"But what India would have learned is, if you then look at a five-Test match series in England and they do the same thing, they are probably going to get the same result. So you can't do that. You need a squad of bowlers where you can sort of pick and choose. Because if you lose him, you have got T20 World Cups, you've got 50-overs World Cups and he's an important member across all formats, IPL, all that sort of stuff."
Bond wants India to manage Bumrah's workload during a Test match and not overbowl him.
"I suppose the lesson is, you can't have him bowl that many overs again in a Test match. Forty-five might be the top, and we can't risk it because he's too valuable. And I'm sure they have got all those things considered around the bowling loads and they would have reflected on why he's had that injury. He's a professional, Boomsy, he does everything right. All you are trying to do is prevent that… you are not going to avoid an injury, you are just trying to avoid the really bad ones, and I'm hoping he can avoid another one of these," Bond stated.
Also read: MI vs KKR Match Preview and Where to Watch Live: IPL 2025 Match 12
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Mumbai Indians wait for Jasprit Bumrah after disastrous start in IPL 2025
A clip of Bumrah bowling in the nets popped up on Sunday, sparking hope he might return soon for MI. But with no set date, fans are worried that it might get too late for the team.
Mumbai Indians already have lost both of their matches in the season so far against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) respectively. Hardik Pandya and Co. are desperately looking for their first win. They will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 31 at the Wankhede Stadium.
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