IND vs ENG: All eyes on Jasprit Bumrah's workload

Birmingham: Sunday was a pleasant, breezy day in Birmingham, with the clouds occasionally making way for a harsh sun. There is expected to be a decent cloud cover over Edgbaston this week, meaning overhead conditions will be ideal for a fast bowler to go all out when the second Test between India and England begins on Wednesday. The Indian team, still hurting from the defeat at Headingley last week, enjoyed a day off but speculation and anxiety over pace trump card Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the second Test still persists. A lot has been spoken about Bumrah’s workload and his availability for just three out of the five Tests on this tour. The decision on Bumrah’s workload for this tour, it has learnt, was made as early as the second week of March.

Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Soham Desai, Team India’s strength and conditioning coach for five years up until the Champions Trophy, said Bumrah’s availability and match-selection had been predecided months before. “When Bumrah couldn’t make it to the Champions Trophy, India’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) was studied and it was decided that he will only play three Tests in England,” Desai told TOI.

While workload management for fast bowlers has been in place in some form or the other for at least half a decade, it is interesting to note how it actually works. Deciding which matches a player will be made available for involves much more than just data coming through various devices, especially in the case of a unique and once-in-a-generation talent like Bumrah.

“There are two ways to analyse the workload. There is an objective way, where we collect data from wearable GPS devices. And then there is a subjective way of observing how the bowler is behaving. There are certain benchmarks set for each player as ‘normal’ behaviour when they are at peak performance,” Desai said. “If it is observed that a bowler is moving differently or lacks a bit of intensity even in simple tasks like conversations in the team bus, these become markers,” he added.Quiz: Who's that IPL player? While most of it is supposed to be a discreet exercise for physios and trainers, in the case of Bumrah, the bowler himself is acutely aware of his body and understands when he needs to push himself. “I’ve known him since the ACL injury in 2014, during his days with the Gujarat domestic team. He is always trying to understand how his body responds to different circumstances,” Desai said. There was excitement in the media contingent here when Bumrah bowled for 40 minutes and batted for a lengthy period in the nets on Saturday after having skipped practice the previous day. “The selectors and team management sit with the trainers and physios and spell out venue-specific plans for each bowler during a long series. The bowlers are prepared accordingly. It’s unlikely that the same bowler will bear the same workload at every venue,” Desai said.

However, things become even more complicated when it comes to someone like Bumrah, especially now that the support cast of pacers around him lack bite.

“There is a set number of overs that is decided for Bumrah to bowl per Test. One can go five-seven overs beyond that limit, but what needs to be seen is how those extra overs are bowled. At the MCG in the previous Test series, he bowled those extra overs without much of a breather between spells.

That caused a spike in his workload which triggered the back injury in Sydney,” he said. According to Desai, any alteration in initial plans happen two days ahead of a Test, especially when there’s a long break between matches like now. “It then comes down to the team management and bowler himself. It’s their call. If Bumrah feels this is a crucial juncture in the series, he usually revisits the plan. But one must take into account the ordeal he faces mentally every time he breaks down,” Desai said. Interestingly, Bumrah held himself back after bowling a total of 43.4 overs at Headingley, compared to the 53.2 overs he bowled at the MCG last Dec. The team management will hope Bumrah feels on top of his game come the Edgbaston Test.