Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has called for the abolition of the word ‘workload’ from the dictionary of Indian cricket.

In an exclusive chat with India Today, Gavaskar cited the example of Mohammed Siraj, who played all five Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England and helped India level the series at 2-2 on Day 5 of the Oval Test.

Gavaskar asked others to draw inspiration from Siraj’s lion-hearted effort in the Indian jersey. The 31-year-old pacer finished as the leading wicket-taker, claiming 23 scalps at an average of 32.43.

Gavaskar's comments came in the wake of Jasprit Bumrah’s absence from the fifth Test. The Indian team management had confirmed before the England tour that star quick would only feature in 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, which India won at Edgbaston. Despite India being down 1-2, Bumrah didn’t appear in the series-decider at the Oval.

"Mohammed Siraj debunked forever this business of workload. I hope that the workload word gets taken out of Indian cricket dictionary. For 5 Test matches, non-stop he has bowled 7-8 over spells, because the captain wanted him and the country expected of him," Gavaskar said.

"And that is one thing I think people keep in mind that workload is a mental thing, not a physical thing and if you are going to succumb to people who are talking about workload then you are never going to have your best players on the field for your country," he added.

The 76-year-old further stated that any player should not be complaining about body aches because it was an honour to sport the Indian jersey at the international stage.

Gavaskar also gave the example of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who came out to bat in the Manchester Test with a broken toe.

"When you are playing for your country, forget the aches and the pains. On the border, do you think that the jawans are complaining about cold? Here in cricket, give your best for the country, don't worry about the aches and pains. What did Rishabh Pant show you? He came out to bat with a fracture. That is what you expect from the players," Gavaskar remarked.

"Playing cricket in India is an honour. You are representing 140 crore people and that is what we saw in Mohammed Siraj," he concluded.

It might seem that Gavaskar's words were aimed at Jasprit Bumrah. But the batting legend clarified that Bumrah's issue was not one of workload but of injury.

Gavaskar argued that Bumrah didn’t play two matches to protect his back from the back injury that he suffered in Australia. He praised the pacer for bowling stunning spells in the matches that he played on the tour.