As had been expected, Jasprit Bumrah played just three Tests against England.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s workload was a major talking point during the recently-concluded Test series against England in England.
The Gujarat speedster played three matches against England, as had been the team management’s decision, and took 14 wickets at an average of 26. There is a one-month break before the Indian cricket team is in action again, and in this gap, Bumrah will undergo rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
On July 31, the BCCI, in a press release, had said that Bumrah was released from the India squad for the fifth Test against England. While there was no mention of any injury, a report in The Times of India later clarified that the 31-year-old had sustained a knee injury.
Now, a BCCI official has reportedly said that should Bumrah play in the 2025 Asia Cup that runs from September 9 to September 28, he will definitely miss the Test series against West Indies at home that will start a few days after the Asia Cup. India are also slated to face South Africa in a full-fledged series at home from November.
“Look if Bumrah plays in the Asia Cup and if India go the distance till September 28, he won’t obviously play the West Indies Test series starting October 2. However, if there are no injuries, he will certainly play the two Tests against World champions South Africa in November,” the senior BCCI official told news agency PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Jasprit Bumrah’s workload has been a cause for concern for a while now. The pacer had undergone a back surgery in March 2023, a few months ahead of the ODI World Cup that was held in India later that year.
Earlier this year, Bumrah sustained a back spasm during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney, and was ruled out of the home limited-overs series against England, as well as the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy that India won. The Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer also missed the start of IPL 2025 due to his back injury.
The five-match Test series between England and India ended 2-2 following India’s six-run win in the fifth Test at The Oval on Sunday. England were set a target of 374 by India, but the hosts were all out for 367, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna sharing nine wickets between them.
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This was Shubman Gill’s first series as India’s Test captain, as well as India’s first Test series since the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in May.
India are in Group A for the 2025 Asia Cup, along with arch-rivals Pakistan, Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Group B comprises of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. The matches will take place at Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with Dubai hosting the final on September 28. The 2025 Asia Cup will be held in the T20 format keeping the 2026 T20 World Cup in mind.
The BCCI is also set to take strict action on players who selectively “pick and choose” matches, stating that these action won’t be tolerated. There are also reports that players with central contracts will also receive a formal message from the BCCI regarding this.
“There have been discussions and the message will be sent across to the centrally contracted players, especially those who are all format regulars, that this culture of picking and choosing games won’t be entertained in the near future,” the BCCI official told PTI.
“It doesn’t mean that workload management will be thrown out of the window but a more objective approach is expected in near future. Obviously, fast bowlers’ workload needs to be managed, but it can’t be accepted that in the name of workload management, people will miss crucial matches,” added the official.
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