Only a few weeks before the T20 World Cup, India suffered a major blow when their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out due to a probable stress fracture in his back.
Bumrah, who has only played 15 matches this year - 5 Tests, ODIs, and T20Is each - had only recently returned to the T20I format in the Australia series.
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The pacer, who had traveled with the Indian team to Thiruvananthapuram for the opening T20I against South Africa, was unable to participate due to back problems he had during a practice session.
The BCCI has yet to provide an official update on Bumrah's injury or replacement, but if rumors are to be believed, it is a toss-up between Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. The latter has just returned from Covid-19 and is one of four players on standby for the T20 World Cup. Siraj, who has not played in T20Is, has enjoyed a good tenure with Warwickshire.
Amid all this, an old video of Shoaib Akhtar, in which the former Pakistan speedster is talking about how Bumrah's uncanny action can lead to career-threatening back injuries has gone viral.
"His (Bumrah's) bowling is based on frontal action. Players with that action bowl with their backs and shoulder speed. We used to be side-on, and that used to compensate (for the pressure on the back). Front-on action has no compensation and with that action, when the back gives in, you can’t escape it irrespective of how much you try," Akhtar had said a year ago on Sports Tak.
"I saw [Ian] Bishop struggling with his back, Shane Bond too, and both had frontal actions. Bumrah now needs to think in this way, ‘I played a match, took an off, and go to rehab’. He needs to manage. If you play him every match, in one year, he will completely break down. Play him three matches out of five and take him out. Bumrah will have to manage this one thing if he wants to last forever," he added.
The video was widely shared, and fans praised Akhtar for correctly predicting Bumrah's injury-prone behavior.
However, Akhtar was not the only well-known former bowler who questioned Bumrah's international viability. West Indies speed bowling legend Michael Holding had predicted that Bumrah will suffer back ailments.
Bumrah previously had a "small stress fracture in his lower back" diagnosis in September 2019, which caused him to miss nearly three months of action. In the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup, India is in Group 2 with Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, and two other teams who will join them from the qualifying round. On October 23, India will start their campaign against Pakistan at the MCG.
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