"I suggested we might keep Dennis Lillee in cotton wool" - Ian Chappell urges management of Jasprit Bumrah's workload ahead of Australia tour
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has recalled Dennis Lillee's statement about his workload management ahead of the 1972 Ashes tour. The former commentator remembered it and stressed the need for India to ensure Jasprit Bumrah's full fitness ahead of the Test series in Australia.
Although Bumrah has cemented his spot as the leader of the pace attack, he has struggled with injuries quite a bit since debuting in 2016. The 30-year-old missed almost a year after suffering a back injury in September 2022, forcing him to miss important tournaments until his return in August 2023.
Writing in his column for ESPN Cricinfo, Chappell recalled how Lillee wanted to rest only after taking a fifer and explained how Bumrah's fitness will be a critical part of India's build-up for the tour.
"At the start of the long tour I suggested we might keep Lillee in cotton wool. He told me in very strong terms: 'Like a batsman, I need to be in form. When I take a five-wicket haul, you can talk about putting me in cotton wool.'"
"A critical part of India's build-up to the Australian tour will be ensuring Bumrah is in form but remains fit to play the bulk of the five Tests. The difficulty of balancing this task was summed up perfectly by Australian pace hero Dennis Lillee on the 1972 tour of the UK."
The Ahmedabad-born speedster had strong numbers when India toured Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21. He bagged 21 wickets in four matches in the 2018-19 leg and 11 scalps in three fixtures during the 2020-21 tour.
"It would be ideal if the mercurial Mohammed Shami is fit for Australia" - Ian Chappell
Chappell also underlined the need for a left-arm pacer in India's ranks as he believes variety in bowling attack will be a handful Down Under.
"It would be ideal if the mercurial Mohammed Shami is fit for Australia but the presence of a good left-arm paceman would also improve India's variety in attack. The spin bowling is in good hands with Jadeja and Ashwin. Nevertheless I wouldn't discount the importance of Kuldeep Yadav on some Australian surfaces."
The 80-year-old has urged Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to deploy their experience to help the youngsters, adding:
"Of the young batters Yashasvi Jaiswal looks very talented but he needs to show good form in Australia. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should act as guiding lights for the younger batters on tour. The batting needs to be good in Australia as India showed with their series wins on the last two visits."
The first of the five Tests between India and Australia will begin on November 22 in Perth.