Following struggles with fitness and injury issues, Bumrah, who had been out of action since September 2022, underwent surgery for stress fracture on his back in March 2023. He missed the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia as well as the IPL 2023.
Bumrah made a comeback to international cricket by leading India in the three-match series in Ireland last August. He shone in the 50-over World Cup, claiming 20 scalps as India won all the matches barring the final.
Speaking during a media interaction at the MRF Pace Foundation, McGrath explained that Bumrah’s bowling action, combined with his workload, makes him prone to injuries.
"The last two strides that he takes, he just powers into the crease. Thus, his momentum increases, and that's where he gets the pace,” the former bowler said.
“Someone like Bumrah needs an off-season because he puts so much into every ball. With so much extensive effort, he needs a break. If he keeps playing, the amount of pressure created given the bowling action he has, he is bound to get injured, which he has in the past,” the Aussie legend added.
McGrath also explained that since India have a good battery of right-arm pacers, they have not had the need to search for a left-arm fast bowler in recent times.
"The Indian fast bowling has been set for a long time and hasn't had a big turnover. The way (Mohammed) Shami, Bumrah, (Mohammed) Siraj and Umesh (Yadav) have delivered, only when they move older, we can think of having a change,” the former pacer said.
"We have Avesh Khan and many others in the fray. We will see in the future. Having so many good right-arm bowlers is the reason why we haven't seen a left-arm Indian pacer lately," he added.
Shifting focus to the Indian Premier League (IPL), McGrath backed both Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, the two costliest players in IPL auction history, to not be pressurized by their price tag. Starc was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 24.75 crore, while Cummins was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.50 crore.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
