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Bumrah is an Indian player first, IPL franchise player later – says Akash Chopra
Aakash Chopra, the former Indian opener is a prominent spokesperson on Indian cricket.
Ina. recent chat, he made his views clear on the contentious issue of Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness.
Chopra stated that Mumbai Indians need to be mindful of the BCCI when it comes to managing Jasprit Bumrah’s workload during IPL 2023.
Bumrah has been struggling with back injuries for over a year, which caused him to miss several matches.
The MI pacer was out of action for almost five months after his injury recurred.
Chopra emphasized that BCCI, team management, and MI should decide on Bumrah’s workload based on his physical condition.
Bumrah was ruled out of the ongoing four-Test series against Australia and was not picked for the three-match ODI series in March.
After suffering a stress fracture in his lower back after the England tour in 2022, he missed the Asia Cup.
To have him ready for the World Cup, the senior selection committee hurriedly included him in the limited-overs series against Australia in September.
However, he suffered the injury once again and was ruled out for an indefinite period.
Although he was named in the squad for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka in the New Year, the selectors announced that he required more time to recover completely from the setback.
According to Chopra, “Bumrah is an Indian player first and then a franchise player.”
“So the BCCI will intervene if Bumrah is in discomfort and inform the franchise that they will not release him.”
He added that the “world would not end if Bumrah did not play seven games with Jofra Archer.”
When asked if he would like to see Bumrah play for India in the World Test Championship final in June if India qualifies, Chopra said that it is too early to comment on it.
He also raised the possibility of the pacer playing some red-ball cricket in India or in the County Championship.
India is on course to reach the World Test Championship final for the second consecutive time, having taken a 2-0 lead against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The WTC final will be held at the Oval in London from June 7 to 11.
Chopra said, “At the same time, when you’re fit, you want to keep on playing as that only makes you better.”
“So I definitely feel MI will pay heed to it if BCCI steps in because he is a national treasure and things aren’t as difficult to manage as they seem to be at the moment,” he added.
“If he is fit, he will go and play those games (Irani Trophy and County cricket).”
“But the IPL is still a month away and we don’t even know if he will play all games. The WTC final is three months away. So it’s too early to say anything.”
This is a tricky issue but we hope the issue is resolved keeping Bumrah’s longevity in mind.