Legendary Australia pacer Glenn McGrath warned in Chennai on Tuesday that Jasprit Bumrah needs an “off-season” as “excessive effort” with his bowling action could lead to the Indian ace The pacer suffered further injuries. Bumrah has been sidelined since September 2022 after spending significant time on the sidelines in March 2023 while undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his back. During this period, he also missed the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and the IPL 2023.

The right-arm pacer, who returned a little earlier than expected to lead India in the three-T20I tour of Ireland last August, hit his stride immediately and bagged a 50-over World Cup Took 20 wickets.

McGrath said due to his movements and workload, Bumrah needed some time off considering his bowling efforts.

“The last two steps he takes, he just goes hard into the crease. So, his momentum increases and that’s where he gets his pace,” McGrath said while interacting with the media at the MRF Pace Foundation.

“A guy like Bumrah needs an off-season because he puts in so much effort on every ball. Putting in so much effort, he needs a break. If he continues to play, considering his The stress of the bowling action, he is bound to get injured and he has been injured before,” the fast bowling superstar said.

McGrath said having a consistent right-arm bowler did not force India to desperately search for a left-arm bowler.

“Indian fast bowling has been established for a long time and there has been no big turnover. The way (Mohammed) Shami, Bumrah, (Mohammed) Siraj and Umesh (Yadav) have performed , it’s only when they get older that we can think about making changes,” McGrath said.

“We have Avesh Khan and many others in contention. We will see in the future. There are so many good right-arm bowlers and that is why we have not seen left-arm Indian pacers in the recent past ,” he added.

Meanwhile, McGrath has backed Australian quicks Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins – the two most expensive players in IPL auction history – not to get bogged down by the price tags Dilemma.

Starc was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping Rs 24.75 crore, while Cummins was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20 crore.

“For Starc, he chose not to play in the IPL due to personal reasons. But he came back and got a record fee,” McGrath said.

“He will be looking forward to the day. On his day, if he can move the ball, he will be as good as any other fast bowler. The money they receive is unbelievable. But they are very experienced players , and knowing the competition is good,” he added.

“They’re going to go out and play like they have in the past. I don’t think (the price tag) will affect them even one percent,” McGrath said.

When discussing Starc’s future, McGrath cited the example of England’s 41-year-old James Anderson when talking about longevity.

“It all depends on what he wants. He’s 34, I’m retiring at 33, and Jimmy (James) Anderson is still moving the ball at 41. It depends on how much game time he gets and How he and his body enjoy it. It,” he said.

Although Australia beat India in last year’s World Cup final, McGrath said players from Australia still struggled to cope with the situation.

“That’s the attitude of people in Australian sport – they are very competitive and back themselves to perform on the big stage,” he said.

“They have adapted better before. India has always been the hardest place for Australians to adapt. They have not been able to adapt to the spinning conditions here as well as other countries,” he said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)