Jasprit Bumrah’s unusual bowling action has made him one of the most dangerous fast bowlers in world cricket. However, the same action also puts extra pressure on his body, making him more vulnerable to injuries. Former India pacer Raju Kulkarni believes Bumrah’s repeated fitness issues are linked to flaws in his bowling technique. He also feels India should be even more careful with Bumrah’s workload and use him mainly in Test cricket.

Kulkarni’s remarks came after Bumrah was ruled out of India’s upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Although he was initially included in the squad, his selection was subject to fitness.

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Later, the BCCI confirmed that Bumrah had not fully recovered from the left knee injury he suffered while fielding during the second ODI against England in Cardiff in July. The injury caused reactive swelling, forcing him to miss the third ODI. He was also unable to regain full fitness in time for the Sri Lanka series.

Kulkarni, who represented India in three Tests and 10 ODIs between 1983 and 1987, described Bumrah as the country’s greatest fast bowler. At the same time, he said Bumrah’s bowling action is not as technically sound as that of legendary pacers Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee.

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“Bumrah’s our golden boy. He’s India’s best ever fast bowler. But I think he’s not a technically sound bowler which is why he’s so injury prone. Bowlers like Richard Hadlee or Kapil Dev were technically sound and that’s why they kept on going,” Kulkarni was quoted as saying by the mid-day.

Kulkarni also believes India should reconsider how Bumrah is used across formats to help extend his career.

“I don’t think Bumrah can sustain playing all formats. The team management must consider playing him only in Tests as that’s a critical format. Though he may want to play IPL, T20I and ODIs too, it’s not viable,” he said.

Bumrah's injuries since 2022

Asia Cup 2022

One of the biggest setbacks came in 2022 when he missed the Asia Cup in the UAE after suffering a back injury during the ODI series against England in July. Without Bumrah, India lost to both Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage and failed to reach the final.

T20 World Cup 2022

He returned for the home T20I series against Australia later that year, but the back injury flared up again, forcing him to miss the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Mohammed Shami was named as his replacement for the tournament.

2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

The same injury also kept Bumrah out of the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home. He remained out of action for nearly 11 months after suffering the injury in September 2022. During that period, he also missed the entire IPL 2023 season for the Mumbai Indians (MI), although the franchise still reached the playoffs and finished third.

2023 World Test Championship final

Bumrah’s injury also ruled him out of the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval. India struggled without their pace spearhead and lost the final by 209 runs, ending as runners-up for the second straight time.

2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Another injury setback came during the fifth Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Bumrah hurt his back while bowling and was later ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Although he was initially included in India’s squad, he was withdrawn on February 12 and replaced by Harshit Rana.


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