With India set to face a tough five-Test series in England traditionally one of the most difficult places for them to triumph, the move to use star pacer Jasprit Bumrah in just three of the Tests is being questioned. One of the world’s best fast bowlers and widely praised as such, Bumrah played extensively for Mumbai Indians during the just-concluded IPL season, making his limited availability for an elite Test series all the more confounding for fans and pundits alike.
Jasprit Bumrah To Play 3 Tests Against England
India’s new coach Gautam Gambhir has already confirmed that Bumrah will be playing only 3 Tests, although it has raised many eyebrows about why less important fixtures, like white-ball matches, weren’t the ones that got cut out to keep Bumrah fit for all five Tests.
AB de Villiers Opines On Bumrah’s Limited Role
AB de Villiers, the former South Africa captain, has also commented on the issue, opining against the move. Comparing it to the manner in which he and his team handled the workload of pace great Dale Steyn during their time, De Villiers indicated that the Indian management could have gotten it wrong in terms of Bumrah’s workload. According to him, important Test matches must be prioritized over one-day or limited-overs cricket, considering Bumrah’s match-winning ability in red-ball cricket.
“Best Bowler In The World”: Says AB de Villiers
“He is probably the top bowler in the world in all formats right now. So, it’s very difficult to decide a way to rest him,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
“But in my opinion, Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game. And this Test series probably would’ve been the one, in my opinion, to get him ready for all five Test matches.”
“That’s what we used to do with Dale (Steyn). Rest him in lesser important T20 and ODI series and get him ready for the big Test series against Australia, England, and India away from home… New Zealand to a certain extent, depending on the rankings at that time,” he explained.
“Don’t Know If It Was Mismanagement”
Terming the decision as a possible instance of “mismanagement,” De Villiers asked why the decision was made not to leverage Bumrah’s role in a series that will set India’s red-ball vision for the year.
Also Read: Will India Participate In Asia Cup 2025? Schedule Likely To Be Out Soon!
“So, I don’t know if it was mismanagement or perhaps because he recently got back from injury, sort of saw the IPL as the warm-up phase,” he said.
“Maybe, went to the surgeon, who let him know, ‘You can’t play the five Test matches.’ So, I mean you got to respect that, and at the end of the day, it’s up to Team India to sort of manage him well,” he added.
“It doesn’t get bigger than that, guys, except for maybe the WTC final.”
