Australia's legendary pacer Glenn McGrath wants India's pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to work even harder off the field if he wants to prolong his career. McGrath feels Bumrah puts more stress on his body when compared to other bowlers. He lauded the Indian pacer for managing himself well but feels the need to give more time to his fitness and recovery since he bowls at a good speed.
“He puts more stress on his body than the other bowlers. He has found ways to manage it, but unfortunately not all the time. He has done it before, he will know better than anyone the recovery time, the time in the gym," McGrath said while speaking to The Times of India.
“He has to work even harder off the field. Being a fast bowler is like driving a car. If you do not top it up with fuel, you are going to run out of fuel sooner or later. My fuel tank was bigger than Jasprit’s because I did not bowl as quickly as him," McGrath added.
With Bumrah, Border-Gavaskar Trophy would've been one-sided
Bumrah was in stupendous form on the Australia tour before he got injured in the last Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. McGrath feels that it would have been a different picture had Bumrah been able to bowl in the final innings of the Test.
"He is an experienced fast bowler and is one of the best in the world. He is unique. I take keen interest in Jasprit and the way he goes. The recent Australia-India Test series showed how important he is to India. If you take Bumrah out of that series, it could have been very one-sided. If he had been fit enough to bowl in the second innings of the last Test (Sydney), you never know. To play five Tests in a row is a massive ask and you have to look after him," said the 55-year-old with 563 wickets to his name in red-ball cricket.
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McGrath was also asked whether Bumrah is the best visiting bowler Australia have ever seen.
"The stats say that. Without a doubt, he was unplayable sometimes. It looked like he would get a wicket every over. I would not have minded playing on those pitches," he said.
Bumrah's return
Bumrah missed the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to injury. Reportedly, the Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer is likely to miss first few matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 as well.