"Our responsibility to try and have him fresh for most of the important games" - Gautam Gambhir opens up on Jasprit Bumrah's workload management
Newly appointed Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir highlighted the importance of workload management for ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah to have him firing on all cylinders for the key matches. Gambhir's first assignment as Indian coach will be the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, starting July 27.
The Men in Blue play three T20Is and as many ODIs against the Lankans with Bumrah rested for the entire tour after a gruelling T20 World Cup that finished under a month back.
In his first press conference after being appointed India's head coach, Gambhir laid out the plan for Bumrah and other pacers.
"For Bumrah, because he is one rare kind of a bowler who anyone would want [in their team], so it's our responsibility to try and have him fresh for most of the important games. So, workload management for, not just Bumrah, but fast bowlers becomes very, very important."
He added:
"Workload management for someone like Jasprit Bumrah is important. For batters, if they can play consistently and if they are in good form, [they] might as well play all the games. With Rohit and Virat now not playing T20 cricket, they only have two formats to look after. So they are going to be available for most of the games."
Jasprit Bumrah was the Player of the Tournament in India's unbeaten title run in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The champion pacer finished with 15 wickets at an incredible average of 8.26 and an economy of 4.17 in 8 outings.
"A happy dressing room is a winning dressing room" - Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir maintained that his focus is only on winning and how that ultimately will result in a happy Indian dressing room.
The former batter replaced Rahul Dravid as the head coach and will possibly be at the helm until the 2027 ODI World Cup.
"My learning has been simple - it has been all about winning. I don't deviate from something. We are in a profession where there can be only one winner. We try and play fair, we try and play hard, and try and come back in a winning dressing room and a happy dressing room. A happy dressing room is a winning dressing room. Ultimately it is the players' team, the support staff is there to try and get the maximum out of their potential," said Gambhir.
Before becoming the Indian head coach, Gambhir was the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side that won the IPL 2024 title.
Meanwhile, India's tour of Sri Lanka begins with the three T20Is before the ODIs, starting on Saturday, July 27.