Jasprit Bumrah can't afford to play all three formats if he has to prolong his career since burdening the body with too much cricket will keep him injury prone, says Jeff Thomson, one of the greatest fast bowlers the world cricket has seen.
Bumrah, easily one of the world's premier fast bowlers in contemporary cricket, missed the T20 World Cup due to a stress fracture on his back. It might keep him away for months.
Thomson, who himself hurled 95mph thunderbolts with an awkward slinging action in the '70s and '80s, wants Bumrah to decide which of the three formats he would like to let go.
"Bumrah puts too much weight on his body and because he plays all formats, he is bound to get injured. It is now upon him to decide what he wants to do," Thomson told PTI during an interaction.
Call it being politically correct, no player worth his salt would ever say that he wouldn't play Test cricket and opt for shorter versions.
"The crowd wants him to play white ball cricket and comes to the stadium to see him bowl in white ball cricket. It is just 60 balls (ODI) or 24 balls (T20) depending on which format he plays.
"In Test cricket, he needs to bowl 15 overs in a day. You can well understand which formats he needs to play to prolong his career. And with World Cups every year, white ball formats are no less important," he explained.
But with one ICC tournament pencilled in the FTP for the next seven years, the pace ace wants Bumrah to weigh in all practical possibilities.
"In a player's career, it is only a decade that you can bowl at the top. So more than emotion, it is about what works for you. What makes your career work better and what helps you serve your country for longer," said Thomson, who took 200 Tests wickets in 51 games.
But does that mean that Bumrah has to opt for white ball formats because that is more popularity in today's time and age.
"It is about what the crowd wants and what he wants. If people love to see him bowl for India in white ball cricket and he can help India win World Cups, why should he give up on white ball for other formats?
"That he can't play all formats is evident to everyone because of the number of times he is getting injured."
But obviously, it is an individual call and one that should be based on what the head says rather than what the heart tells you to do.
"It is up to him to decide how he can carry on to serve India for longer. This is a reasoned call and not an emotional call."
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