Bumrah should take a break for five to six months or even a year, says Ghavri

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of India's Test tour of Sri Lanka due to a left knee injury. The two-match series, part of the World Test Championship, commences on August 15 in Galle. Bumrah, 31 years old, has been managing injury concerns since the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 and made an ODI comeback against England after 968 days away from the 50-over format.

The pacer featured in two ODI matches against England but was ruled out of the final game after knee discomfort. He sustained the injury while fielding in an ODI against England in Cardiff in July. Bumrah was initially included in the Sri Lanka squad subject to a fitness test but is now undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. His medical team received an injection last month as they believed it would accelerate healing. Auqib Nabi has been named as his replacement for the tour.

Former India pacer Karsan Ghavri suggested that Jasprit Bumrah should be given an extended break, even up to a year, so that he regains 100 per cent fitness.

"Bumrah should take a break for five to six months or even a year, and get back to 100 per cent fitness. The issue is that he goes into tournaments even if he’s half-fit and then, due to workload management, halfway through, there’s a breakdown. This is unnecessary. Only if he can manage his workload throughout a tournament should he be included in the team," Ghavri told the Mid-day.

Ghavri urged the selectors to include experienced seamers like Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the national team. He also mentioned that Bumrah missing a series now and then is not a good sign for the Men in Blue.

"Shami and Bhuvi have been playing consistently in the IPL without injuries and should return to the national set-up. Selectors should consider them. All fast bowlers face niggles or injuries, but Bumrah has been on and off for the last two-three years. He has hardly played an entire series. That’s not a good sign for him or for the country," Ghavri said.

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Another former India speedster, Raju Kulkarni, believes that the Indian team management should make Bumrah play only in Tests, even if the right-arm seamer insists on featuring in all three formats. He also opined that the inclusion of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in T20Is and rotating Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in Tests would reduce the pressure on Bumrah.

"I don’t think Bumrah can sustain playing all formats. The team management must consider playing him only in Tests as that’s a critical format. Though he may want to play IPL, T20Is and ODIs too, it’s not viable. For this reason, it will be great if Mohammed Siraj can get the support of senior pacers like Shami and Bhuvi." Kulkarni said.

"Bhuvi should be used in T20Is because he’s done brilliantly in the IPL. And you can rotate Shami and Siraj in Tests. This will reduce the pressure on Bumrah," he added.