Revealed: The secret to Bumrah’s recovery from a career-threatening back injury to become world’s best pacer at the world cup | Cricket News

For some of India’s top stars, 2023 was the year when they had to pause, reflect and reboot. In some cases, to recover from injuries; in a few others, to rediscover lost form. All in the hope that when the big day comes, they’ll be ready and recharged for the challengeAbout quarter to five in the evening on October 14, Jasprit Bumrah unlocked one of his specials. Rewatching it could open wounds of a dream that will remain unfulfilled. Let alone Mohammad Rizwan, noone watching it on HD television could predict the vicious slower off break. Fast forward to the world cup final where he conjured probably the best slower one of the world cup – an inch-perfect off-cutter, that startled Steve Smith with its timing and execution. Neither Rizwan nor Smith were looking to hit out; yet were bamboozled Bumrah’s cerebral craft.
There is more than just skill and wizardry to the dismissals of Smith and Rizwan. Having endured a horrid 14 months because of a back injury, it was a sensational comeback without which India’s dreamy run to the final wouldn’t have been possible. From the moment he air dropped at the Asia Cup, and troubled Pakan under dark Colombo clouds, there were still apprehensions as to whether we would see Bumrah of the old.
“Meaner, leaner, stronger/Can you feel the/Power, terror, fire…,” the DJ at Premadasa would use a Tamil hit number from the movie Beast to evoke similarities. But there were serious doubts, especially because of the nature of Bumrah’s injury. The back injuries from stress fractures have derailed many a career.
Jasprit Bumrah after picking Steve Smith’s wicket in the final. (ICC)
From Dennis Lillee to Jeff Thompson to Shane Bond, they haven’t been the same post back injuries and surgeries. And given Bumrah’s peculiar action, which is considered injury-prone, there were more reasons to worry. The lethal yorker takes a lot of energy out of him, and the fear was that he wasn’t able to pull out the rabbit as and when he wanted. But at the World Cup three of his 20 scalps came via yorkers.
Through the course of the World Cup campaign, Bumrah managed to stub out such doubts and perceptions. Could he bowl every game? He checked it. Can bowl long spells? He ticked those. Can he be the lead bowler? He showed who the boss is, becoming the most economical bowler in the first powerplay. There was something inevitable waiting to happen when Bumrah had the ball and the 20 wickets are a testament to that.
A year prior, when he hobbled off for the second time under five months after making a comeback, it was felt that Bumrah’s availability would just be confined to the shortest format. The ODIs or the Tests seemed a non-starter. Given the T20 luxury and his injury concerns, had Bumrah taken that step, few would have disapproved. Lasith Malinga had given up Tests. The 30 he played came in a six year period. Bumrah had similar number in five years and on Tuesday added to the tally in Centurion. It sort of completes a wheel.
If not for a carefully executed plan the staff at the National Cricket Academy and the Indian team management, Bumrah 2.0 may not even been possible.
The work behind the scenes
According to those in the know, it was a review meeting held in the first week of January 2023 that proved to be the game changer. While a detailed workload management plan was put in place, there was a fresh setback with Bumrah. After being drafted into the T20 side for the series against Sri Lanka, on the basis of clearing a fitness test, the back injury reared again.
“This was before it was decided Bumrah would need surgery. The initial plan was to just make him play the limited-overs (T20s), gradually increase his workload and have him fully fit for the World Cup. Test matches were totally ruled out,” a source in the know of the developments tells The Indian Express on how the injury management was put in place.
Jasprit Bumrah was originally sidelined from the Asia Cup last September. (PTI)
According to the plan, there were even discussions to have Bumrah travel (as a non-playing member) with the team during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home, where a specialised trainer will look after him. But it was then that it dawned on Bumrah and others that surgery was the only remedy. It wasn’t a straight-forward decision and multiple specials at home and abroad were considered given this was a career-threatening injury. Nitin Patel, the head of sports science and medicine at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), oversaw the entire procedure. On March 8, Bumrah underwent a surgery in New Zealand.
Post this surgery all the stakeholders – team management, selectors and the NCA support-staff headed VVS Laxman – oversaw a meticulously laid out rehab for Bumrah. Even before the pacer went to the NCA 45 days after the surgery, according to the source, a detailed plan was in place with trainer S Rajnikanth assigned as the dedicated special to get Bumrah fully fit.
While the target was the World Cup, no return date was mentioned to Bumrah as it could add to the pressure and bring additional stress on a player who had played not even a handful of matches since August 2022.
“We knew this would be extremely challenging on Bumrah. No rehab is easy and for him to keep doing the same thing for nearly a year was going to be challenging on many fronts. With the same injury re-surfacing twice in the space of just four months, there will be self-doubts. So you had to look at his mental well-being as well as physical well-being. We of course wanted him to be fit and available for the World Cup, but you can’t set a time frame because subconsciously he would set a goal and there is a chance of him rushing into things, which could have been risky,” the source adds.
The rehab days at NCA
When the entire Indian cricketing ecosystem’s attention was on IPL, at the NCA Bumrah’s rehab would begin with aqua training. It lasted nearly a month as he slowly built his strength. Since it was an extensive rehab, the staff at the NCA would do everything to keep his mind dracted from the boredom.
“We had to keep him in a good space. It may involve him walking into the gym with his favourite song blurting from the speakers or him finding a favourite cheat meal on the table. We needed to keep him in a good space mentally because the injury can heal quickly,” the source adds. That Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul were also around at the NCA at the time, undergoing rehab, did help a bit.
And once Bumrah started to hit the ground running, the stakeholders ensured he didn’t rush through the crucial part of the rehab. This phase called the loading phase would begin with Bumrah starting off bowling an over or two at bets before it gradually became 30 balls a day.
“If you are raring to get on to the field and suddenly find yourself up and running, you can stretch a bit in that enthusiasm. So we monitored each delivery he sent and once he reached the limit for the day, he was off. 30 became 40 and gradually it went up to 60 balls a day,” the source says.

The moment we have all been waiting for. @Jaspritbumrah93 like we have always known him. 🔥🔥 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/uyIzm2lcI9
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2023
Even at the net sessions, which began in the middle of June and extended till July, the NCA staff ensured different boxes were ticked. “When he resumed bowling, he would be bowling to only one batsman. But as we gradually increased his load, he bowled to multiple batsmen. All of it helped him to get into a match situation. Having played only two T20 matches in a year, one needed to factor in that aspect as well. If he has a strengthening session in the morning, the nets would be in the evening, and we would alternate between the two,” the source adds.
While the stakeholders were initially looking at Asia Cup in September to bring Bumrah into the national fold, thanks to the rehab programme, he featured as early as mid August during India’s T20Is in Ireland. Even after he made it to the national side, the BCCI would ensure that trainer Rajnikanth oversaw his return, keeping a close eye on his workload at the Asia Cup and as well as the World Cup.
“Had we rushed him and set a time frame, we don’t know what it would have been. It was a lesson that we learnt from last year. For a World Cup, we needed Bumrah and everything was done carefully to ensure he is fit and available,” says the source. He wasn’t just fit and available, but at his zenith as a spearhead during India’s dreamy run in the world cup.
Box on road ahead
What 2023 taught, what 2024 means
With the amount of cricket India play, sans a meticulously planned workload management system, it would be challenging to keep the players afresh. In search of game time, especially when IPL is around the corner, players rushing back from injury isn’t new, but it needs better co-ordination. In 2024, India are scheduled to play five home Tests against England followed two months of the IPL and a T20 World Cup. With the ICC title drought continuing, for India to win the title in Caribbean, they need Bumrah, their X-Factor. And post that, there is a home season involving Bangladesh and New Zealand before they embark on a tour to Australia to play five Tests.
In all they are set to play a minimum of 14 Tests next year, which means an extensive workload management has to be in place. Apart from rotating the likes of Bumrah, time has also come for the selectors and the team management to prioritise formats. If ODIs gained prominence this year, T20s and Tests make it all the more gruelling. If India don’t manage the workload properly, then they will struggle to hit the high notes.