New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) Former India batter Mohammad Kaif made a shocking revelation that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah might retire from red-ball cricket after failing to give his 100 per cent on the field in the ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford.

Bumrah has so far bowled 28 overs in England’s first innings and returned with the figures of 1-95. His only dismissal was Jamie Smith in the final session of play on Friday. It was not about getting wickets but his pace has noticeably dipped in the ongoing fourth Test, where he’s mostly operating in the 130-135 kmph range – a marked drop from the speeds he clocked during the series opener in Headingley. In both the Leeds and Lord’s Tests, the 31-year-old consistently touched 140 kmph.

“Jasprit Bumrah, I feel, will not play in the upcoming Test matches and might retire as well. He is struggling with his body and his pace has dropped in this Test match. He is an honest man and if he feels that he’s not able to give 100 per cent to the country, he will rule himself out. Not getting wickets is one thing, but the pace has also dropped to 125-130 kmph,” Kaif said in a video posted on X.

Concerns deepened when Bumrah was seen clutching his ankle during the second session, though he did return to bowl later in the day. Even the commentators noted that he appeared to be holding back, bowling within himself and approaching the crease cautiously.

With Bumrah already scheduled to feature in only three of the five Tests due to workload management, Kaif suggested that fans may need to start adjusting to the prospect of seeing less of him in the longest format moving forward.

“There is no doubt about his passion and commitment, but he is losing out on his body. His non-performance in this Test, clearly speaks that he will have problems in playing Test matches ahead and might not even play in Tests. After Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ashwin, the Indian fans have to prepare themselves for playing without Bumrah. I hope my prediction comes out wrong, but what I saw is what I’m speaking of,” the former batter added.

–IANS

ab/