Jasprit Bumrah has come under the scanner for his workload management in the recently held Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. 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 by 336 runs at Edgbaston.
Despite India being down 1-2, Bumrah didn’t feature in the series-decider at The Oval, where the visitors emerged victorious by a narrow margin of 6 runs to level the series 2-2.
Amidst the scrutiny, former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has come to the defence of Jasprit Bumrah, saying that whenever the ace pacer plays, he brings India back into the game from almost impossible situations.
“You have to look at it from Jasprit Bumrah’s point of view. I think that these kinds of wins, the way the series has panned out, the way the young team has fought will actually help him in his career. I believe Jasprit Bumrah will be very proud of this young bowling attack and knowing him, he is not someone who shies away from pressure, big matches. Boss, he is in the ground, as a captain, any big moment, you go to Jasprit Bumrah, you want a wicket, go to Jasprit Bumrah, you want a 5-an over in a T20 match, you go to Jasprit Bumrah. If you are bowling with a bad, old ball which is 25 overs old in a ODI and want a wicket, go to Jasprit Bumrah. That is the name he has earned and he rightly deserves to be called that,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“Now this stat of when he doesn’t play, India does not win. It’s not his mistake. He is so impactful that others pale in comparison at times which is understandable. He is a world champion. When he finishes cricket, he will be spoken in the same parlance as a Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Dale Steyn. And I hope he will have a longer career knowing that I can pick and choose matches when I feel I am ready because there is no more pressure that I am the only one and at every match, I have to play. And at times, it’s unfair. It’s a body, he knows what he has gone through. 2 back injuries, one nasty ACL he had in 2014. It’s not easy and sometimes I feel we have to cut him some slack as well,” he 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.
Ever since Bumrah sustained a back spasm in the Sydney Test against Australia in January 2025, 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.
