Sachin Tendulkar Voices Support For Indian Pacer, Lambasts Critics After ENG vs IND Test Series

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has voiced support for pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for not playing the fifth and final Test of the five-match series against England. Bumrah was lambasted by fans on social media for his decisions, though the pacer clarified that he will be available for three matches before the start of the series.

Sachin Tendulkar Rubbishes Jasprit Bumrah’s Critics

“I know people are discussing a number of things – jo Tests khela nahi, voh hum jeete (India won the Tests he didn’t play) and all that. To me that’s just a coincidence, to be honest,” Tendulkar said in a video at Reddit.

“Bumrah started off really well, getting five wickets in the first Test. He didn’t play the second, but in the third and fourth again at Lord’s, he got 5 wickets. So, out of 3 tests he played, he has picked five wickets twice. The quality of Bumrah is exceptional. It’s unbelievable what he has been able to do so far. To me, he has been a consistent performer without any doubt; I would put him right at the top with anyone else,” said Tendulkar.

While Bumrah definitely has a say in which games he plays, the ‘picking and choosing’ of Tests are done following discussions with the management and the medical team to allow the premium pacer to extend his playing career as long as possible.

ALSO READ

Jasprit Bumrah’s Workload Management

Jasprit Bumrah bowled his heart out in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The right-arm pacer emerged as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 32 wickets in five tests. The right-arm pacer was overbowled even when he was heard saying on the stump mic that he was not able to push himself further. He got injured in the Sydney Test and, at that time, had bowled the most overs in the series.

Bumrah missed out on the Champions Trophy 2025 and was away from the game for nearly four months. He returned to competitive cricket during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after missing the first four matches. The speedster played in all games before coming into the series. He was the second leading wicket-taker after Ben Stokes of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 before the final Test.

For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.