'Losing battle against his body': Kaif says Bumrah may retire rom Test cricket

New Delhi: Jasprit Bumrah may become the next high-profile cricketer to retire from Tests after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin because the world’s No. 1 bowler is "losing the battle against his body", feels former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif.

The 31-year-old looked off-colour on day three of the ongoing fourth Test against England and bagged the solitary wicket of Jamie Smith after bowling 28 overs.

"Jasprit Bumrah, I think, might not be seen playing in the upcoming Test matches, and it is possible that he might take retirement as well," cricketer-turned-commentator Kaif posted in a video on his verified X handle.

"Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have stepped away, (Ravichandran) Ashwin has also retired. And now, it seems, it's Bumrah's turn. Indian cricket fans may need to start getting used to this. I believe you might have to get used to watching Tests without Bumrah from now on." "I hope and pray I’m wrong. But from what I saw in this Test, it looks like he’s not enjoying himself at all. He’s lost the battle with his body. The spirit and passion are the same, but the body just isn’t keeping up. And what can you do in such a situation," said Kaif.

Following Rohit's retirement, the Indian think-tank's first choice for captaincy was Bumrah but he "no" to the job to manage his workload.

"Yes, the BCCI was looking at me for leadership. But then I had to say no. It's not fair for the team as well that in a five Test-match series, someone is leading in three matches and someone else in two matches. It's not fair on the team and I always wanted to put the team first," Bumrah had said earlier in an interview.

Bumrah, who has held the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test bowling rankings since 2024, has been grappling with fitness issues since the start of the year.

He was unable to bowl in the second innings of the fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Test in Sydney earlier this year due to a back injury and he also missed both the Champions Trophy and the start of IPL 2025.

Since then, the India pace spearhead has been cautious about managing his workload, opting to play only "three Tests" on the ongoing tour of England.

Bumrah featured in the series-opener at Headingley, where he consistently clocked over 140 kmph and returned impressive figures of 5/83 in the first innings.

He then sat out the second Test at Edgbaston, which India won, before returning for the third Test at Lord’s.

At Lord’s, although his pace had dropped noticeably, he still managed to claim a second successive five-wicket haul, finishing with seven wickets in the match.

However, in the ongoing fourth Test at Old Trafford, concerns have deepened. Bumrah has been operating mostly in the 130-135 kmph range and has crossed the 140 kmph mark very rarely.

Kaif feels the bigger concern for him was the drop in his pace.

"Whether he takes wickets or not, his pace has dropped -- he's bowling at around 125-130 kmph. Even the wicket he took, the keeper had to dive forward to catch it. When Bumrah is fully fit, the ball rises to shoulder height. It zips through so quickly that be it Joe Root or Ben Stokes the batters feel the wind of it.

"He's struggling with his body; his pace has dropped in this (Manchester) Test. Jasprit Bumrah is a very proud and self-respecting man (khuddar banda hai)." "If he feels that he is not able to give 100% for the country, not able to win the match, and not taking the wickets, then he will himself say 'no'. This is my gut feeling. He’s the kind of bowler who can dismiss any batter whenever he wants. But right now, while the passion to play for the country is still there, his body and fitness are not supporting him.

"His performance in this Test clearly shows that. I think there will be issues in future Tests too -- you might not see him playing regularly anymore," Kaif added.