'Cricket Has Got Its Own Logic': Sunil Gavaskar Asks The BCCI To Set Priorities, Questions Indian Team Management On Jasprit Bumrah's Workload

After the completion of the much-awaited Asia Cup, the Indian team will play 20 matches across formats that also includes a white-ball tour to Australia which is extremely important as far as Indian cricket is concerned. It has been almost two weeks that India drew the famous Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against Ben Stokes' England. The series did grab a lot of eyeballs for different reasons, but it was all the chatter around workload management that attracted different opinions from the pundits of the game.

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Sunil Gavaskar Reacts To Jasprit Bumrah's Workload Management

Before the star of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, it was well-established that Jasprit Bumrah will play only three Test matches. Coincidentally, India did not win the three Test matches in which Bumrah played, but that doesn't take away anything from the quality he has as a bowler.

As compared to Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj bowled over 1100 balls across five Test matches and ended the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series as the highest wicket-taker. England came into the fifth and the final Test match of the series with a 2-1 win and the team management's decision to rest Bumrah in the series decider did not sit well with many fans and experts of the game.

Ex-India skipper and the winner of the 1983 World Cup, legendary Sunil Gavaskar has now urged the BCCI to identify and prioritise Bumrah's appearances for the 'Men in Blue'. Gavaskar also questioned the team's decision to rest the star pacer in the Oval Test.

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"Nobody is indispensable. That’s why it is of prime importance for the selectors to now decide when Jasprit Bumrah should be playing. There's already been a lot of debate about his appearances. Now comes the tricky decision for the selectors. What is more important? Qualifying for the World Test Championship or playing some bilateral white-ball games which have no bearing at all. If India have to qualify for the WTC, then Jasprit Bumrah, being the premier fast bowler in the game, has to play in the four Tests that India have lined up between early October and late November," wrote Gavaskar in his column for Mid-day.

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Suspense Around Bumrah's Asia Cup Participation

There is a lot of chatter around India's squad for the Asia Cup that might be announced on August 19, 2025. There were reports that Bumrah had confirmed his availability for the continental cup, but there is still no official word on it. Bumrah last played a T20I for India in the World T20 final in 2024 which the 'Men in Blue' won.