Sandeep Patil’s indirect dig at Bumrah’s workload management

Bumrah_Sandeep_Patil
Bumrah_Sandeep_Patil (PC: X)

Former India cricketer and selector Sandeep Patil is unhappy with current players getting too many injuries and taking breaks too frequently, citing workload management.

Recently, India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was rested for two Test matches during the England tour. He even missed the Champions Trophy earlier this year. Though India won the Champions Trophy and secured a 2-2 draw in the England series, fans and many experts were eager to see Bumrah play, believing he could have improved the results in England.

As per Mid-Day, Patil said: “I wonder how the BCCI is agreeing to all this? Is the physio more important than the captain, than the head coach? What about selectors? Are we to expect that the physio will be sitting in selection committee meetings now? Will he decide?”

He gave examples of players of his time who never got breaks in their long careers and sometimes even carried on playing with injuries.

“When you are picked for your country, you die for your country. You are a warrior. I have seen Sunil Gavaskar bat on all five days of a match, I have seen Kapil Dev bowl on most days of a Test match and even bowl to us in the nets. They never asked for breaks, never complained, and their careers extended to 16-plus years. I did not miss the next Test after my head injury in Australia in 1981.”

He wondered how modern-day players face so many injuries despite having the best facilities available in the world.

“Modern-day players have all the facilities. We did not have such rehab programmes in our playing days. At times, we carried on playing despite injuries. Let us just say we were happy playing for the country, no drama.”

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