Jasprit Bumrah was criticised by many former India cricketers and experts for playing only three Test matches in the five-match series against England. Many felt he should’ve played the final Test match with the series on the line.
Jasprit Bumrah playing only three Test matches in the five-match series against England didn’t go down well with many. The likes of Irfan Pathan and Sandeep Patil, among many others, called him out for picking and choosing matches while on tour. Moreover, it was decided even before the start of the tour that his workload would be managed during the series and that he would only play three matches. Meanwhile, out of favour India fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has come out in support of him while highlighting the impact Bumrah makes with his performance.ย
I had no problem with Bumrah playing 3 matches, says Bhuvi
He noted that Bumrah’s bowling action is such that he is prone to more injuries, and his workload has to be managed. He also went on to say that the critics on the outside don’t know how tough it is for a fast bowler to sustain in the long run while playing all three formats of the game.
“The kind of bowling action Bumrah has, injuries can happen to him or to anyone – considering how many years Bumrah has been playing & competing in all formats, it is tough for anyone to sustain that. I had no problem with him playing 3 out of 5 matches.ย
“If the selectors know what he can offer & are okay with it, it’s because they know he can still make a big impact in those 3 games – if a player might not play all five matches but will contribute significantly in three, that should be okay – people don’t always understand how tough it is tough keep playing for so many years across formats,” Bhuvneshwar Kumar while speaking on the show ‘Talk with Manvendra’.
Bumrah to play Asia Cup?
Amidst talk about workload management, Jasprit Bumrah is reportedly set to play the upcoming Asia Cup that is scheduled to take place from September 9 to 28. Earlier, there were rumours of him missing the Asia Cup as well, with Test matches scheduled against West Indies and South Africa at home in October and November.
Moreover, there is only a three-day gap between the final of the Asia Cup and the first Test between India and the West Indies. In this case, Bumrah might end up resting at least the series opener against the Caribbean side.ย For the unversed, India’s Asia Cup squadย is set to be picked on August 19 (Tuesday).
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