Ask anyone on the streets, ‘who is the best bowler in the world’, and a person with slightest of knowledge of the sport, will say Jasprit Bumrah. The pacer, ever since his debut has been country’s best bowler across all formats, and his presence alone is enough to instill fear in batters.
Jasprit Bumrah Best Bowler
For the unversed, in T20Is he has picked up 89 wickets in 70 matches, where his average has been 17, and economy has been 6. Strike-rate is close to 17. IN ODIs, he has been a different beast, where in 89 encounters 149 wickets have come his way. But his biggest strength has been the longest format — Tests, where he has 219 wickets in 48 matches.
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Average | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Lyon | 66 | 276 | 28 | 61 |
| Pat Cummins | 62 | 273 | 21 | 44 |
| Mitchell Starc | 61 | 235 | 26 | 46 |
| R Ashwin | 51 | 233 | 22 | 48 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 48 | 231 | 21 | 38 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 48 | 219 | 19 | 42 |
He has been one of the most successful since he made his Test debut. The Indian is at 219 wickets while the table-topper Nathan Lyon is at 276, and the next on the list is Pat Cummins with 273 wickets. If we compare the two pacers, Bumrah is definitely the better one — he averages only 19, while the Aussie is at 21. Former’s strike-rate has been 42, and Cummins is at 45.
Needed in Tests More Than in T20Is
Such has been his hold with the red ball, that he picked up a whopping 71 wickets in 13 Tests in 2024, at an average 14.92, with a strike-rate of 30, and this year has accounted for 16 wickets in 4 matches. All that, with his slingy action, that is very susceptible to injuries, mostly back.
So, that brings us to the question, were Jasprit Bumrah’s services really needed in the Asia Cup too, with the Australia ODI series and then West Indies Test series coming up? The straight answer is no. India have enough bowling resources in the white-ball formats. But selectors of course know more than an average cricket fan, so maybe they have a plan.
Should Play IND vs PAK Only in Asia Cup 2025
In any case, the 31-year-old should not be used in any matches other than the Pakistan ones in the Asia Cup. Both the teams can face-off thrice, if they happen to reach the final. Using him beyond that would once again bring the ‘workload management’ question into play. If he could be rested for two England Tests, then why not in these T20Is?
Yes, for argument sake, it is just four overs. But then he is such an asset, that every extra over bowled should be really worth it. If only the management can prolong his Test career by avoiding T20Is, then why not. There is an IPL that can feed the Indian team, pacers at will. And then when a tournament like the T20 World Cup comes, Bumrah can be utilised then, if needed.
Looking at the Asia Cup squad — Prasidh Krishna is in the reserves, who happened to be the purple cap holder in IPL 2025.. could have been picked instead of Bumrah. Or even Mohammed Siraj. But now that Bumrah is in there, he should only be playing against Pakistan, even if it is one match only.
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