“I’ve never been a big believer of injury management” - Gautam Gambhir’s old clip goes viral amid Jasprit Bumrah’s injury in BGT 2024-25

A lot has been spoken about Jasprit Bumrah's workload management after the ace speedster picked up a back spasm during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It prevented him from bowling in the final innings of the Test match, as Team India went down 1-3 in the five-match series.

With India lacking quality options in the pace unit, Bumrah had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities across the five-match series. Given that he played 13 Tests alone in 2024, on top of other formats and the Indian Premier League, it was a buys year for the fast bowler.

The injury has now sparked debates about Bumrah's workload management. While there is an argument that the gifted pacer needs to be managed to increase his longevity, a few former cricketers labeled workload management as 'bullsh*t'.

India's 1983 World Cup winner Balwinder Singh Sandhu slammed the idea of workload management, telling TOI:

"Workload? How many overs did he bowl? 150-something, right? But in how many matches or innings? Five matches or nine innings, correct? That comes down to 16 overs per innings or 30 overs per match. And he didn’t bowl those 15-plus overs in one go. He bowled in spells. So, is it a big deal? Workload management is bulls**t. These are Australian terms, created by Australians. Workload management 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."

"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 20 overs in an innings, he should forget about playing for India," Sandhu added.

After Balwinder Singh Sandhu's comments, an old video of India head coach Gautam Gambhir from earlier this year has gone viral. He had highlighted that players cannot pick and choose a format due to injury concerns and if they're good, they should play all three formats.

In an interview with Star Sports (via Times Now), Gambhir said:

“I'm a very strong believer in one thing, if you're good, you should be playing all the three formats. I've never been a big believer in injury management, you get injured, you go get recovered. As simple as it gets. When you're playing international cricket, and you're good enough, you ask any of the top players, they want to play all the three formats."

"Injuries are part of a sportsman's life," he continued. "And if you're playing all three formats, you get injured, you go back, get recovered, but you should be playing all three formats. I am not a big believer in identifying people that, we're going to keep him for Test matches or other formats.

"We're going to manage his injury and workload and stuff. Professional cricketers, you've got a very small span when you're playing for your country, and you want to play as much as you can. And when you're in very good form, go ahead and play all the three formats,” the former India opener added.

While the discussion continues, it is important to note that Jasprit Bumrah had an exceptional Border-Gavaskar Trophy, finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the series. The World No.1 bowler scalped 32 wickets in five Tests at an astronomical average of 13.06 and deservedly won the Player of the Series award.

He also led India to a massive win in the first Test in Perth in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma. Bumrah also led the team in the fifth Test when Rohit 'stood down' due to dismal batting form. However, India lost the Test in Sydney and squandered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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Jasprit Bumrah doubtful for 2025 Champions Trophy - Report

Ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah could reportedly miss the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is all set to resume after an eight-year hiatus. With the provisional squad for the Champions Trophy set to be announced in a week, all eyes would be on the 31-year-old pacer.

According to a report in TOI, Bumrah should be fit for the ICC event if he is suffering from a 'back spasm' as reported by the BCCI management. However, if there is a Grade 1 tear, it will require some time to return to action.

India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign on February 20 with a clash against Bangladesh in Dubai.