In an expected move, Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the India vs Sri Lanka match in the 2025 Asia Cup. When the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the ace pacer would be featured in the India vs West Indies Test series, it was basically confirmed that Bumrah wouldn’t play the last group stage match of the tournament.
India managing Bumrah’s workload
This method of managing his workload has been in effect for a long time now. Even before the England tour, the BCCI picked and chose when and against whom to play Bumrah. It was always on the cards that the 31-year-old would feature against the West Indies.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate had already hinted towards it happening on September 24, a day before the squad came out. He stated that Team India won’t rest Bumrah against Bangladesh to ensure he gets overs under his belt for the Test series.
“We have a Test match starting on Thursday. So, it is actually good preparation in terms of workload management. Knowing, if he plays all the games, he’ll bowl 25-26 overs with the training and the preparation, which is a fairly good number before a Test. I’d say we are going to pick our best team for every game, and he obviously fits into that picture,” Ryan had said.
After winning against the UAE and Pakistan, Team India had qualified for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup. Then, Bumrah was rested against Oman. The same has happened. Since an India vs Pakistan match has been confirmed as the Asia Cup final, the management wishes to test other players and rest Bumrah.
Confirmed for IND vs WI 1st Test?
This highlights that the management wants to play the pacer in the first Test against the West Indies. One can’t forget that India lost the last home Test series they played against New Zealand. That also meant that India didn’t qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the first time.
Although the West Indies aren’t the strongest side, the BCCI aren’t keen on taking chances. Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar had also clarified that Bumrah will be available for both matches.
“This team has been picked for both the Tests, so he’s available for both Tests. We’ve had a fair break after England. He didn’t play the fifth Test either. So, there’s been a five-week break. Even this tournament (Asia Cup) has been fairly spaced out till the last week. So no, he’s ready and keen to play both Test matches,” Agarkar had said.
Perhaps they’ll rest Bumrah for the second Test, considering India wins, but it seems at the moment he’ll be there on October 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
