There were a couple of press conferences during the England tour when India’s most-incisive pacer ever Jasprit Bumrah, had sounded bitter, and cross with the world around him. He said the media had made a habit of writing him off and in these times of “views and subscribers”, they were making money through him. “Paise kama rahe hain mere through” – his words.
As expected the statement elicited some serious hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing among the traveling press corps. They shouldn’t have felt targeted since the many retired cricketers, who have made similar allegations during their playing days and are working for broadcasters or running their own youtube channels, too were on the same boat. They too were in the business of “views and subscribers” and they too had been writing him off and questioning his choices.
There is a history behind this mistrust, it didn’t happen overnight. The latest episode kicked off with Bumrah’s scheduled miss of the series-deciding final Test at The Oval which was seen as a betrayal. But wasn’t it the other way round? Shouldn’t Bumrah feel betrayed?
A crisis has the potential to expose the true character of a person and the fair-weather Indian cricket fans, and some quick-draw pundits, unraveled themselves around the 5th Test match.
Here was a pacer with a history of frequent breakdowns because of India’s over-dependence on him and his captains over-using his services had played its part, now he needed rest but he didn’t have the luxury to take that call. So what if he is the envy of the world, not just our neighbours’, the erstwhile pace kings. So what if he regularly gets ultimate praise from the very best. So what if Andy Roberts had once said, “Wish, we had him.”
Jasprit Bumrah in action. (FILE photo)
It was just before the final Test, with the series hanging in balance, Indian cricket recorded a sudden dip in rational thinking, anyway a rare commodity in this sport that is passionately followed across the country.
Bumrah was to play three Tests in the series and by the end of the fourth Test, he had done so. But there were questions. Isn’t this sport and not some 8 hour shift? And aren’t sports persons known to push the envelope when chasing glory? Why allow stars to pick and choose? Those on the cricket circuit who as kids didn’t pay attention when they were being read Golden Goose at bedtime were on an overdrive.
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The decision to play 3 out of 5 Tests in England wasn’t some arbitrary snap call taken by Bumrah. The entire Indian ecosystem, including BCCI’s doctors, had been on the same page.
After the first Test loss at Leeds, Indian coach Gautam Gambhir had categorically answered the Bumrah question. Would Bumrah, in any circumstances or situation, play four Tests in this series? Pat came the answer, “No, there is no compromise on the workload of a player”.
Only those who have access to Bumrah’s injury history and the scans on his back should have the right to ask why he missed two Tests of this close series.
Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has worked closely with Bumrah, he knows his anatomy better than those holding court on this sensitive issue. And it reflects in his views on the subject. “It’s so sad to hear about this stuff against Bumrah. He has had a serious surgery, and people should understand it is not as if the surgery is done and he is all good forever. No this is far more serious stuff on his back now,” he says.
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Bharat has more to say about the criticism by Indian cricket’s influential voices over him ‘picking and choosing’ Tests. “It’s not picking and choosing. Just a few months back he was hailed as the world’s greatest fast bowler in Australia and now, he is being criticised unfairly. Did he underperform in the three Tests? Two fifers he took. Why do you think it was announced way before the series itself that he will play 3 Tests; precisely to stop this kind of nonsense. Not for the world to fall to temptation and say play him as this Test is crucial … His body is like that now. We have to be careful and understand how hard this entire effort is and such a great feat for him to do what he is doing – playing for India through all this.”
But who cares about such details, there are easier options for the mob on the fringe of the final Test match frenzy and ones in the lucrative and unaccountable ‘rent a quote’ business. Every session at The Oval had a question: Will it be 2-2 or 3-1? The world had tuned in, this was the chance for those lacking nuance or sensitivity and in the business of “views and subscribers” to make a killing. The two words deciding the sports coverage – content and traction – ruled the judgement of many seasoned followers of the game. If India lost and the series finished 3-1, a scapegoat was needed. The early birds were hovering over The Oval – the missing Bumrah fitted the bill perfectly.
Jasprit Bumrah in action. (FILE photo)
Commentators and pundits – primarily retired cricketers – these days have social-media tailored views. They also divide their attention, often unequally, between watching the game and checking what’s trending.
In this half-blind pursuit, everything was forgotten – his stress fractures, abdomen strain, back surgery, spasms. Also those 32 wickets in 2019 in Australia for India’s historic triumph Down Under, his wicket of Mohammed Rizwan in the 2024 T20 World Cup when all seemed lost or his spell of 4-0-18-2 in the final. It was convenient to turn the back on Bumrah’s long tiring figures of 27-5-74-5 at Lord’s, which had a spell where he got Joe Root, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes. India’s batters needed to score 193 to win the third Test, the specialists failed. Bumrah did his bit, batted for 51 balls too. He too could have won a Test for India, if the batsmen had done their job.
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A bitter Bumrah at the press conferences isn’t a pleasant sight. He wasn’t like this when he hit the scene as a 150kph bowler like the crack of a golden dawn. That was positivity he exuded when he addressed the media during his debut at Cape Town in 2018.
Mild-mannered, soft-spoken, he is a pacer with a pleasant disposition. Back in the day, wise reporters, chasing deadlines, would give a Bumrah press conference a miss. He wouldn’t fuel a fire, give a provocative quote or add intrigue to the game plot. These days you can’t afford to give a Bumrah interaction a miss. His restrained annoyance needs to be reported. It can’t be dismissed as a rant.
For many even the 2-2 draw couldn’t have been just about celebrating Mohammed Siraj’s rise as a game-changer and able leader. Some people can’t stop themselves from rocking the boat.
From the other side of the earth, the one-time India coach Greg Chappell would say, “With or without Bumrah, Siraj is ready to be the spiritual as well as actual leader of Gill’s attack.” Was it needed? Ask Siraj, even he would have begged to differ. Chappell’s understanding of Indian culture was always tenuous, now his judgement of a bowler and his impact on the team too is suspect.
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It is a shame that a national hero like Bumrah is constantly scrutinised and stalked. During the England tour, at net sessions, he would look at reporters with cameras with a wry smile and suspicion. Conscious that every step he takes would be interpreted and an instant judgement on his fitness made and a medical bulletin dispatched. Even if the reporter had no such intention, the mistrust had been embedded deep in the mind. How did it all come to this?
A cricket crazy nation needs to introspect about the way they treat their consistent performers. Along the ‘feel-good’ climax of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, came a couple of disheartening realisations. Bumrah’s angst is justified and this thankless nation doesn’t deserve a star like him.
