“Yes.” Rohit said. “To be honest, he has bowled a lot of overs. There is no doubt about that. But again, in every Test match we play, we are mindful of that. It is actually the workload of all the bowlers. But again, I tell you, when someone is in such good form, you want to try to maximize that as much as possible and that’s what we tried to do with Bumrah.
“But there comes a time when you have to step back a little bit and give him a little bit of space. So we’ve been very careful. I’ve been very careful. I talk to him about how he’s been doing. You have to manage those things and try to do that on the field. “I’m in the middle of it.”
Bumrah’s 53.2 overs at the MCG are the most he has bowled in a Test match. This brought his tally for the series to 141.2, putting his workload ahead of Pat Cummins (136.4), Mitchell Starc (131.2) and Mohammed Siraj (129.1).
India gave up a century in Adelaide, two in Brisbane and another in Melbourne, not to mention a whirlwind 50th anniversary for the 19-year-old debutant on Boxing Day. Would India have posed a greater threat had they opted for another front-line bowling option instead of filling the back-end of the XI with an all-rounder?
“Look, Akash Deep (5 wickets at 54) and Mohammed Siraj (16 wickets at 31) are the frontline seamers,” Rohit said. “It’s just a shame he wasn’t able to show up at the wicket post.
“Siraz in particular is working really hard. I don’t think there’s anything else he can do. Of course there are the technical aspects of the game that he focuses on, but other than that, it’s the effort. The attitude, bowling those long spells, he’s always there. The wicket column does not show how well he bowled.
“It’s the same with Akash. He bowled really well in both the games in Brisbane and here. It’s unfortunate he can’t get a wicket to his name. It’s up to everyone to make sure that whoever’s playing gets that spot. It’s not just one or two people’s job for the team.”
“When we first saw him (Reddy), we knew he had a lot of potential. That’s why he came here in the first place,” Rohit said. “And he came here and showed what he can do. You know, he was great with the bat.
“He understands the situation well and reads it well. He also has solid technique. And, of course, he also has excellent mental ability.”
“It’s very difficult to talk about the growth part because he’s only had four Test matches at the moment, but I hope he plays long enough for India in some form.”
