Bumrah featured in three out of five Tests on the tour of England.
As a result of that injury, the ace pacer missed the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Indian team management confirmed before the ongoing England tour that the ace pacer would only play three of the five Tests.
The No.1-ranked Test bowler turned up in the first, third and fourth games and was rested for the second Test at Edgbaston. He is not featuring in the series finale at The Oval as well.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed surprise over Bumrah’s absence from the series-deciding fifth Test but ended up admitting that it was the right decision by the team management to not push the fast bowler.
“I am pleasantly surprised because if this were the Indian team of the past, they would have persuaded Bumrah to play the final Test. Even now, the team management might have looked at it, but from Bumrah’s perspective, this is a sound decision. He had already decided that he was going to play only three Tests, and he stuck to that,” Ashwin said.
He reckons that resting Bumrah could benefit the Indian team in the long term. “His back issue is not a normal one. It has kept him out of the game for almost two years. He is a valuable asset to the Indian team. So, the decision is the right one, and I am pleasantly surprised. I am very happy that Bumrah is prioritizing his body because in the long run, he will be very useful,” Ashwin added.
Jasprit Bumrah picked up 14 wickets at an average of 26 in three appearances against England, but he seemed to be suffering from cramps and slight injuries in the penultimate Test at Old Trafford.
After the first day’s play at The Oval, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate dismissed the suggestion that Bumrah was ‘picking and choosing’ which matches to play, saying that Indian players are always disappointed when they can’t play but try to motivate each other.
“It’s quite a complex issue around Bumrah, you know, we obviously want to wheel him in, but we also want to respect where his body’s at, and on the basis of that, we just felt that it wasn’t worth including him in the squad," Ten Doeschate told reporters.
“… I don’t think picking and choosing is a fair comment to Bumrah, he did say he was going to play three games, he left it up to us which three he played, we’ve tried to manage the situation, it’s not ideal, I guess giving those guys attention, the guys who aren’t playing particularly when you’re carrying 18 is important," he added.