Gautam Gambhir, who himself has been a vocal critic of the superstar culture within Indian cricket, has himself a strong point of support in Mohammed Siraj's gritty performances on the England tour.
Siraj's relentless bowling over five Tests not only highlighted the importance of dedication and physical fitness but also added meaning to the new Indian head coach's attempts at developing a team-first culture.
The just-ended 2-2 Test series against England is being considered a watershed, not only on the pitch but also in the background. With chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and the BCCI decision-makers said to be in sync with Gambhir's vision, Indian cricket might soon bid farewell to the top cricketers cherry-picking series in the name of workload management.
"There have been talks and the message will be conveyed to the centrally contracted players, particularly those who are all-format regulars that this culture of choosing and rejecting games won't be tolerated in near future," a top BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Though the BCCI will not give up on workload management entirely, there is increasing pressure for a more pragmatic and transparent solution. "It will not be discarded but there should be a more objective system in near future. Clearly, fast bowlers' workload should be managed but it cannot be allowed that in the name of workload management, people would miss key matches," the official said.
Siraj, having delivered an astronomical 185.3 overs during the five-match Test series — excluding the time on the field or going overboard in the nets — has transcended to be a symbol of ultimate athleticism and unyielding commitment. His efforts, joined by those of Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep, have reiterated a bitter truth: that no one is irreplaceable, not even the greatest names in the sport.
Even England captain Ben Stokes, who was carrying his own injuries, continued to bowl long spells until the fourth Test — further fueling controversy about whether the concept of workload has been stretched for the sake of convenience.
Legend former captain Sunil Gavaskar also spoke vociferously against the trend.
"When you play for your country, just forget the aches and the pains. At the border, do you believe that the jawans are complaining about cold? What did Rishabh Pant demonstrate to you? He batted coming out with a fracture. This is what you can expect from the players. Playing cricket for India is an honour," Gavaskar said in a conversation with India Today.
"You are speaking on behalf of 140 crore people and that is what we witnessed in Mohammed Siraj. I believe Siraj bowled his heart out, and he ended this workload business for good. Non-stop for five Test matches, he has bowled 7-8 over spells, because the captain wanted him and the country expected of him," he further said.
Gavaskar also added, "I hope the term 'workload' in Indian cricket vocabulary vanishes. I have been speaking about it for ages. And I believe that is the one thing which we all must remember that this workload is only a mental aspect, not physically so much."
At the same time, some discomfort about Jasprit Bumrah's inability to endure a complete five-Test series has been sensed. His absence has not been missed within the halls of the BCCI, with a few raising eyebrows over the competence of the sports science unit at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Bumrah is now set to come back for the Asia Cup T20 to be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28. "Look if Bumrah does feature in the Asia Cup and if India go the distance up to September 28, he won't obviously feature in the West Indies Test series from October 2. But if there are no injuries, he will definitely play the two Tests against World champions South Africa in November," said the official.
With Nitin Patel having left his position, a new sports science head is soon likely to be appointed at the CoE. The expectation is that the next administration will be able to create a high-performance culture wherein fitness allows one to play — not protectionism. This could prove to be a decisive change, especially for the fast bowlers, so they can play more regularly and not be kept out of action by prudence.
