Bumrah's demanding action and high pace make workload management a necessity: Uthappa

Lucknow: India's star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah's "demanding action" and "high pace" put immense pressure on his body, and managing his workload is absolutely necessary to keep him match fit, former cricketer Robin Uthappa has said.

Bumrah was rested for the three-match ODI series against the visiting South Africans and returned for the five-match T20I series. He played a key role in the hosts' massive 101-run win in the first T20I at Cuttack.

The 32-year-old was also rested for the ODIs against Australia in October but played the T20I series.

"He is an absolute match-winner, and managing his workload is crucial. Fast bowling is probably the toughest skill in the sport, and Bumrah does it at high pace with a demanding action." said Uthappa on JioStar's 'Cricket Live'.

"You want to protect that, but at the same time, you want him to play enough cricket. We've seen glimpses of his brilliance, and hopefully he can build consistency over the next few games heading into the World Cup," added the former India cricketer, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2022.

The fourth T20I here was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Wednesday due to poor visibility caused by dense layer of smog, and the final match of the series in Ahmedabad on Friday is a must-win for the Proteas to level the series.

Uthappa opined that while the visitors have been very competitive, inconsistency has let them down in the white-ball games.

"South Africa have played very competitively, but they've been a bit hot and cold in the T20I series. That said, it has still been very entertaining. I thought they bowled really well, while their batting has been a little inconsistent.

"It's going to be an interesting contest (in Ahmedabad) because they will want to level the series. Overall, they've had a great tour. They dominated the Test series (2-0) and were competitive in the white-ball formats as well. India came back strongly, but South Africa will want to win the next one and head home with their heads held high," said Uthappa.

Former South African pacer Dale Steyn, however, said his team had "exceeded expectations" on their tour of India.

"Winning the Test series was outstanding, and they were very competitive in the ODIs. They might feel they let the first ODI slip after winning the toss and losing early wickets while chasing. Had they won that, they could have finished the ODI series 2–1," said Steyn.

The pace legend added that if India win the T20I series it would be a well-deserved triumph.

"Out of the three T20Is so far, India have been the better team. They bowled South Africa out cheaply in one game, conceded runs in another, but then dominated again in Dharamshala. If India win the series, I would say well played — they would deserve it. But I'm hoping South Africa turn it around. They've had a wonderful tour," he said.

He acknowledged that Abhishek Sharma's batting, especially the young opener's cover drive, was a treat to watch.

"Abhishek Sharma hits a lot of sixes and plays fearless shots, but I personally enjoy watching a classical cover drive or someone walking down the wicket and hitting straight back over the top. When Gill gets going, it's great to watch.

"I remember Shubman Gill scoring heavily against SRH when I was the bowling coach there. He played beautifully. Even when you're on the losing side, you enjoy watching someone like him bat. He makes it look very easy — elegant and pleasing on the eye," said Steyn.