Jasprit Bumrah faced backlash for his workload management during the recently held Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The Indian team management had confirmed before the England tour that star quick would only participate in three of the five Tests.

Bumrah 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, the No.1-ranked Test bowler didn’t feature in the series-decider at The Oval, where the visitors emerged victorious by a narrow margin of six runs to level the series 2-2.

Recently, former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that Bumrah shouldn't be considered as the first-choice pick for the Indian Test team if he cannot play more than two matches in a row.

Amid the criticism, 1983 World Cup winner Balwinder Singh Sandhu launched a scathing attack on Jasprit Bumrah’s critics, questioning their hypocrisy for not calling out the batters when they take a rest and only reserving their judgment for the fast bowlers.

“In these seven years, how many batsmen have gone without injury breaks? How many have opted out of a series quietly? Nobody really questions them. But when it comes to a fast bowler, everyone seems ready to pounce. The truth is — fast bowling is brutal," Sandhu wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

“I was stunned when I saw these numbers. Jasprit Bumrah has had an average rest of just 3.2 days for every playing day across the last seven years, while Mohammed Siraj has had 3.5 days, and Mohammed Shami, 3.7. And remember — both Bumrah and Shami have also missed matches because of injuries. That only makes these statistics even more telling," he added.

There were some doubts on Bumrah's availability for the Asia Cup 2025 largely due to the proximity to the home Test series against the West Indies in October, but the selectors named him in the 15-member squad last week.

Sandhu believes Bumrah should not be questioned for picking and choosing as unorthodox bowling action puts extra strain on his body.

“Compare Bumrah to legends like Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee, or Malcolm Marshall. They all had smoother biomechanics and long careers, but even they weren’t spared from injuries. Research has shown that about 40 per cent of a pacer’s speed comes from the momentum of the run-up. Bumrah, with his slow run-up, puts extra load on his body to generate that pace," Sandhu wrote.

“So, instead of hammering these bowlers for “choosing matches” let’s enjoy watching them perform whenever they can. Enjoy the skills, the execution, the moments they create,” he remarked.