Injury woes continue for Jasprit Bumrah as the pace spearhead has been ruled out of India's upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka after failing to recover from the knee injury he sustained during last month's ODI series against England. The latest setback has prompted former cricketers to urge Bumrah to either take a year-long break to regain full fitness or restrict himself to playing only Test cricket, while also calling for the return of Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to India's pace attack.
Bumrah suffered an impact injury during the second ODI against England and subsequently missed the series finale. The BCCI's Centre of Excellence had initially expected him to recover in time for the two-Test series beginning next week, but the injury proved to be more serious than first assessed.
Incidentally, Bumrah had also reported knee discomfort earlier this year, checking into the Centre of Excellence after India's successful T20 World Cup 2026 campaign before returning to play a full IPL season for the Mumbai Indians.
Former India pacer Karsan Ghavri believes Bumrah's recurring injuries are a consequence of the sheer volume of cricket he plays across formats. He argued that the BCCI should only select the fast bowler if his workload can be effectively managed throughout an entire tournament or series.
{{/usCountry}}Former India pacer Karsan Ghavri believes Bumrah's recurring injuries are a consequence of the sheer volume of cricket he plays across formats. He argued that the BCCI should only select the fast bowler if his workload can be effectively managed throughout an entire tournament or series.
{{/usCountry}}"Bumrah should take a break for five to six months or even a year, and get back to 100 per cent fitness. The issue is that he goes into tournaments even if he's half-fit and then, due to workload management, halfway through, there's a breakdown. This is unnecessary. Only if he can manage his workload throughout a tournament should he be included in the team," Ghavri told Mid-Day.
Pointing to Bumrah's repeated fitness setbacks over the last few years, Ghavri also urged the selectors to bring back experienced pacers Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
"Shami and Bhuvi have been playing consistently in the IPL without injuries and should return to the national set-up. Selectors should consider them. All fast bowlers face niggles or injuries, but Bumrah has been on and off for the last two-three years. He has hardly played an entire series. That's not a good sign for him or for the country," he added.
This is not the first time selectors have been urged to recall the experienced duo.
Shami has been pushing for a return ever since his last appearance for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which remains his only international outing since the 2023 ODI World Cup. Despite impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy and domestic cricket, selectors have repeatedly indicated they have moved on from the veteran fast bowler.
Calls for Bhuvneshwar's comeback have also gathered momentum following his consistent performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL over the last few seasons. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently echoed similar sentiments, although Bhuvneshwar, who last played for India in 2022, has maintained that another international cap is no longer the driving force behind his career.
Former India pacer Raju Kulkarni, meanwhile, believes Bumrah should focus exclusively on Test cricket while Shami and Bhuvneshwar shoulder India's white-ball responsibilities.
"I don't think Bumrah can sustain playing all formats. The team management must consider playing him only in Tests as that's a critical format. Though he may want to play IPL, T20Is and ODIs too, it's not viable. For this reason, it will be great if Mohammed Siraj can get the support of senior pacers like Shami and Bhuvi. Bhuvi should be used in T20Is because he's done brilliantly in the IPL. And you can rotate Shami and Siraj in Tests. This will reduce the pressure on Bumrah," Kulkarni said.