The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been extremely cautious when it comes to handling Jasprit Bumrah. The ace pacer is injury-prone, and the board realises. Steffan Jones, Rajasthan Royals high-performance fast bowling coach, recently shared how every ball a bowler delivers matters. Whether it be in a match or in the nets.
BCCI seems to be in line with this approach. A conscious effort has been taken to manage Bumrah’s workload. That’s why he played just 3 matches in the England tour. The decision to select the fast bowler for the Asia Cup has been taken with the T20 World Cup 2026 in mind. Moreover, Bumrah will have had more than a month to recover.
Why Bumrah may not play all Asia Cup matches
Despite all of this, South African legend AB de Villiers doesn’t think that Bumrah will play all of the matches in the Asia Cup. India’s campaign will begin on September 9 against the UAE. Considering it’s a weaker opposition, we might see Bumrah play only against Pakistan and rest him for the Oman match.
There will be a reason for this as well. India is in Group A, and if they qualify for the Super Four stage, they’ll have to play 3 matches in 5 days. Considering these matches will be against stronger teams, India will want Bumrah to play these and then the Asia Cup Final.
“Great to see him in the squad, fit and ready to go. I don’t think he will play all the games. I saw reports saying he will be earmarked for the games that matter, and I love that about the selectors being proactive. That’s how you should be managing your senior and most impactful players,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
AB de Villiers applauds BCCI
The former Proteas captain has also lauded the BCCI for taking care of Bumrah. Keeping his age, action, and injury issues in mind, the decision to play Bumrah only when it matters the most is important. The board and management have decided to use him as a weapon, and rightly so.
“It’s not like they are picking and choosing. There’s just so much cricket these days. For your older guys, their work has taken its toll over the years. Once you start managing these players, you will get the best out of them, and I love it that they’ve started doing that with Jasprit Bumrah,” he added.
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