Jasprit Bumrah needs break as his bowling action may cause injury: McGrath

Chennai, Mar 19 (PTI) Jasprit Bumrah needs an 'off-season' since his bowling action with an ‘extensive effort’ could result in ace India pacer suffering further injuries, warned legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath here on Tuesday.

Bumrah spent a lengthy period on the sidelines for undergoing a surgery for stress fracture on his back in March 2023, while being already out of action since September 2022. In between, he also missed the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia as well as the IPL 2023.

The right-arm pacer, who returned to action a little earlier than anticipated to lead India in their three-match T20I tour of Ireland last August, hit the stride immediately and went on to claim 20 wickets in the 50-over World Cup.

McGrath said owing to his action and workload, Bumrah needs time off from the game given the amount of effort that goes into his bowling.

"The last two strides that he takes, he just powers into the crease. Thus, his momentum increases, and that's where he gets the pace,” McGrath said during an interaction with the media here at the MRF Pace Foundation.

“Someone like Bumrah needs an off-season because he puts so much into every ball. With so much extensive effort, he needs a break. If he keeps playing, the amount of pressure created given the bowling action he has, he is bound to get injured, which he has in the past,” said the fast bowling great.

McGrath said having a good stable of right-arm pacers has not forced India to search desperately for a left-arm bowler.

"The Indian fast bowling has been set for a long time and hasn't had a big turnover. The way (Mohammed) Shami, Bumrah, (Mohammed) Siraj and Umesh (Yadav) have delivered, only when they move older, we can think of having a change,” McGrath said.

"We have Avesh Khan and many others in the fray. We will see in the future. Having so many good right-arm bowlers is the reason why we haven't seen a left-arm Indian pacer lately," he added.

Meanwhile, McGrath backed Australian quicks Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, two of the costliest player in IPL auction history, to not get bogged down by the price tag.

Starc was roped in for a whopping Rs 24.75 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders whereas Cummins was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20 crore.

“For Starc, he chose not to come to the IPL due to personal reasons. But he comes back and gets a record price,” McGrath said.

“He will be looking forward to it. On his day, if he is moving the ball around, he will be as good as any other fast bowler. The money that they have received is incredible. But they are both very experienced players and know the game well,” he added.

“They are going to go out and play well as they have done in the past. I don't think it (the price tag) will impact them even one per cent,” McGrath said.

McGrath cited the example of England’s 41-year-old James Anderson when it came to longevity while discussing what is ahead for Starc.

"It all depends on what he wants. He is 34, I retired when I was 33, and Jimmy (James) Anderson is still moving the ball at 41. It's about how much game time he gets and how he and his body are enjoying it," he said.

Despite Australia clinching a win in the World Cup final last year against India, McGrath said players from Down Under still struggle to cope with the conditions.

"It's just the attitude of the Australian sports people — they are very competitive and back themselves to perform on the big stage,” he said.

"They used to adapt better before. India is always the toughest place for the Australians to adapt. They haven't been able to adapt to the spin conditions here as better as other countries do," he said. PTI