Why is the BCCI running separate fitness tracks for Bumrah and Shami?

The BCCI is managing Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami on different fitness timelines ahead of the New Zealand tour. Bumrah is being wrapped in cotton wool after a knee injury in July, while Shami is being asked to prove he can still endure an overseas workload through domestic cricket.

Bumrah will undergo match simulations and fitness tests before the Afghanistan T20I series, with an LSG pacer kept as backup. Shami, at 36, will play his 100th first-class match in the Duleep Trophy final and has taken 382 first-class wickets.

Selectors have kept Shami at arm's length for red-ball duty despite consistent domestic returns. The dual-track approach turns selection into a workload-management decision rather than a straight form assessment.