Jasprit Bumrah's Selection For West Indies Test Series Faces Intense Scrutiny: 'It Seems Like A Missed Opportunity...'

India vs West Indies: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Team India's 15-member squad for the upcoming home Test series against West Indies, on Thursday, September 25.

Shubman Gill will be leading the Team India squad, while Ravindra Jadeja has been rewarded with the vice-captaincy role.

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India Announce Squad For Home Series Against West Indies

N Jagadeesan received a call-up in the Test squad for the first time ahead of the West Indies' tour of India. Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, and others have also been added to the squad.

After the squad was announced, cricket fans criticized the BCCI for not adding Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, and others to the squad.

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However, former Indian speedster Irfan Pathan raised his eyebrow for a different reason. Irfan Pathan felt that Jasprit Bumrah should have been rested, and this was the perfect time for the selectors to give youngsters some chance.

While speaking on his official YouTube channel, Pathan called it a missed opportunity to play a young pacer in the two-match Test series, instead of Bumrah.

The 40-year-old added that if he were the selector, then he would have tried to give a young speedster a chance. However, he further added that Bumrah's commitment to Test cricket is fantastic.

“It seems like a missed opportunity not to play a young fast bowler in these two Tests, but that’s the team’s current direction. If I were a selector or manager, I would have surely tried to give a young fast bowler an opportunity, focusing on their development, not just quick results. Bumrah remains committed to Test cricket, which is fantastic,” Irfan Pathan said.

Jasprit Bumrah's Stats In Test Cricket

Jasprit Bumrah made his Test debut in 2018 against South Africa in Cape Town. Since then, he has played 48 Tests and 91 innings, picking up 219 wickets at an economy rate of 2.78 and a bowling average of 19.82. In the first-class, Bumrah played 76 matches and 137 innings, bagging 311 scalps at an economy rate of 2.75.

In the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, the 31-year-old played three matches and five innings, taking 14 wickets at an economy rate of 3.04.