Pathan said the Indian captain should not be rigid about giving Bumrah only a five-over spell.
Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in the fourth Test at Old Trafford remains a mystery. The ace pacer was rested for the second Test against England at Edgbaston to manage his workload.
On his return at Lord’s, Bumrah returned with a five-wicket haul in England’s first innings. However, India lost the third Test by a narrow margin of 22 runs to concede 1-2 lead in the five-match series.
The plan was always going to make Bumrah play three Tests and head coach Gautam Gambhir had said that it won't be altered despite the loss in the series opener at Headingley.
After the Lord’s defeat, India skipper Shubman Gill kept the fans and analysts guessing regarding Bumrah’s availability for the penultimate Test, saying: "You will get to know about it soon".
With the series on the line, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has made a scathing remark on Jasprit Bumrah's workload management, saying that the fast bowler has to give everything on the field when playing.
Pathan also mentioned that the Indian captain should not be rigid about giving Bumrah only a five-over spell.
“I believe when you play cricket for India, you give it your all. When it comes to a five-over spell and you say Root has come in, you’ve bowled five overs, and you won’t bowl the sixth, that shouldn’t happen. You have to give everything. Either you give everything or you rest properly," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Irfan Pathan further suggested that playing for the team goes hand-in-hand with playing for teammates.
"When it’s about the country, when it’s about the team, and even if it’s not about the country, at least it’s about the team. The country always matters. But when you play in the team, you are playing for your teammates. You want to give your everything for them. No one, whether on your right, left, the eleven players on the field or those sitting outside, would want anything less," Pathan stated.
“You play for them first. Your biggest responsibility is to play for your team. So when I said that in commentary, I will always stand by it. The team always comes first. And when you play, you have to give everything. I’m not questioning whether he put in effort. Of course, he did. He bowled his overs. There’s no doubt about it. But where an extra push is needed for the team, you have to give it. At that point, you have to set workload aside. That’s what I believe," he remarked.
Ever since Jasprit Bumrah sustained a back spasm in the Sydney Test against Australia, the Indian team management has been extra careful about managing his workload.
As a result of that injury, he missed the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the initial few matches of the IPL 2025 season for Mumbai Indians.
Ahead of the England tour, Bumrah revealed that he himself requested the BCCI not to consider him for Test captaincy after Rohit Sharma's retirement, as he would not be able to play all five Tests due to workload management.