Gautam Gambhir addressed his first press conference as the new head coach of Team India on Monday and identified what was his vision for the team. In response to many questions, Gambhir stressed the critical workload management for premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, whom he described as an exceptional talent.
"I've said it before, workload management for someone like Jasprit (Bumrah) is important. He is one rare bowler that anyone would want. You want him to play important games. That's why the workload management for not just him but fast bowlers is important," Gambhir said in the press conference.
Jasprit Bumrah is a player who has more than repaid his faith in the Indian team, but over the past couple of years, injuries haunted him. The 30-year-old spent a large part of 2022 out of the game due to various injury issues. After going through a serious back surgery in March 2023, which ruled him out for another four months, he finally returned to the game.
He made his comeback in the series between India and Ireland in August 2023 and led the side as well. Star performances in the 2023 ODI World Cup, backed by those historic figures in the T20 World Cup thereafter, proved he is irreplaceable in the bowling lineup.
"If you are a batter, who's batting well, you might as well just play all formats. Rohit and Virat have retired from T20Is now, so they will play two formats from now. Hopefully, they are available for most of the games," he added.
The new head coach also talked about the workload management strategy, under which the workload on fast bowlers has to be managed while expecting batters to be available in all formats.
"For batsmen who are in form, it makes sense to play all formats. With Rohit and Virat retiring from T20Is, they will now have to focus on two formats. Ideally, they should be available for most of the games," he added.
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