Former Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev is worried that Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling action, that has fetched him a lot of wickets could also result in a number of injuries. The Indian fast bowler is out of the Indian team at the moment after he suffered a stress fracture on his lower back this year following the tour of West Indies.
“Take the example of Bishan Bedi. He was a body bowler, not an arm bowler like most spinners or wrist bowlers. He was technically the best spin bowler because he bowled with the body. Look at Gavaskar as a batsman — technically flawless.”
“Even today, at 70, give him a bat and he will come out technically very sound. But if a batsman is an ‘eye player’ he is more enjoyable to watch. Like Virender Sehwag, (GR) Viswanath. Take Sachin Tendulkar. He could have played for another five years because he was technically sound,” Kapil told Sportstar.
“So if your bowling action is technically sound you make a bigger impact. See what happened to (Jasprit) Bumrah, his action attracts injuries. He uses his arm more than body, so that can be a problem. A bowler like Bhuvneshwar Kumar will last longer because he uses his body,” he further added.
Bumrah’s action involves a hop and a skip before he goes on to deliver the ball with a slanted hand action, much similar to Lasith Malinga’s slingy action.
Kapil Dev also had words of wisdom for the rest of the Indian seamers, especially Mohammad Shami, who, he felt, dropped his lengths shorter in overseas conditions.
“Unfortunately Indian bowlers tend to bowl short in Australia because they get carried away after seeing the bounce. In the process, they forget line and length. I can understand because when the wicketkeeper collects the ball in front of his face it cheers you up. But it does not always get you wickets. Mohammed Shami is guilty of that. He bowls a yard shorter when he plays overseas,” he said.