New Zealand's legendary all-rounder sir Richard Hadlee has opened up about his views on Jasprit Bumrah, India's premier fast-bowler. Hadlee said that Bumrah is a 'delight" to watch and has proved "highly effective" but his ability to last long in cricket is a cause of concern for the great cricketer.
“Jasprit’s longevity in the game is yet to be determined. I suspect he could be more vulnerable to injury problems than those fast bowlers with more classical and ‘pure’ actions or techniques. Some of his potential injuries could be severe because of the stresses and strains he places on his body,” said Richard Hadlee in an interview to TOI.
Sir Hadlee feels that Bumrah's action, which is highly unorthodox is causing him problems. Bumrah has been out of action recently due to injury.
“I hope any injuries he may incur will not be potentially career-ending because he is a delight to watch, and he causes batsmen all sorts of problems with his unsuspecting pace, bounce, and ball movement in the air and off the pitch. Jasprit fits into the unorthodox bowling category with virtually no run-up to the crease. His technique in some way defies belief but has proved to be highly effective. He is what I call a shoulder or strength bowler with all his power and pace coming from the final part of his action as he releases the ball. It would be very difficult to coach his technique to an aspiring fast bowler and I think a coach would refrain from doing from that because biomechanically it could cause problems with injury,” the legendary all-rounder added.
Indian fast-bowlers have had a history of peaking at a certain age and then the career goes down due to injuries. Will Bumrah end up just like other Indian bowlers who couldn't cope with the rising fitness demands? Only time will tell.