India Test captain Shubman Gill ended all speculations around Jasprit Bumrah when he announced, “No Bumrah.” Down 0-1 in a five-match Test series and after an eight-day break, the India team management, despite announcing Bumrah’s availability, decided to rest the premier fast bowler. The decision did not go down well among fans and two former India captains, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri. Both called the decision hard to believe.
“This is a very important match, they’ve had a week off. I’m a little surprised Bumrah is not playing this game. It should be taken out of the player’s hand. It should be the captain and the coaching staff who decide who should be playing the 11. This is an important game in the context of the series, he should be playing this game more than anything else,” Ravi Shastri said, slamming India’s decision to rest Bumrah in the IND vs ENG Edgbaston Test.
“Baffling. If you are bowling first, you need him more than anyone else. You are keeping him for Lord’s,” Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.
Jasprit Bumrah workload
It’s not that Bumrah is overworked. It’s his persistent lower-back problem due to his unorthodox bowling action that creates an issue. In 2022, Bumrah underwent a second surgery for a lower back stress fracture. He missed two months of action after suffering a recurring back injury in Australia. Hence, he has been under strict workload management guidelines.
Statistically, Mohammed Siraj has bowled the most overs by an Indian pacer since 2023. But Bumrah is second. Since 2023, Bumrah has bowled 603.5 overs across formats, bagging 82 wickets, averaging 15.87. Add IPL to the mix and his workload increased significantly.
But India got a warning sign in Australia, forcing Team India to enforce stricter workload management. During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah bowled 151.2 overs and was ruled out of the second innings of the Sydney Test as he injured his back again. The injury ruled Bumrah out for two months, forcing him to miss the ICC Champions Trophy. He returned in IPL ahead of the England tour but with a strict warning. Bumrah could only play three Tests and not more than that.
“If you look at the run, India has had, this becomes a very, very important test match. You’ve lost three against New Zealand, you’ve lost three against Australia. You’ve lost the first Test match here and you want to get back to winning ways. You have the best fast bowler in the side, in the world, and you make him sit out after seven days of rest, it’s something very hard to believe,” Ravi Shastri added, dismissing the workload management claims.
India’s bowling in Leeds
| Player | Inns | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | SR |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2 | 43.4 | 140 | 5 | 5/83 | 28.00 | 3.20 | 52.40 |
| Prasidh Krishna | 2 | 35.0 | 220 | 5 | 3/128 | 44.00 | 6.28 | 42.00 |
| Shardul Thakur | 2 | 16.0 | 89 | 2 | 2/51 | 44.50 | 5.56 | 48.00 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 2 | 41.0 | 173 | 2 | 2/122 | 86.50 | 4.21 | 123.00 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 2 | 47.0 | 172 | 1 | 1/104 | 172.00 | 3.65 | 282.00 |
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