Jasprit Bumrah has been one of India’s primary bowlers across all formats. But managing his workload has become one of the team’s most pressing challenges, and in the middle of a crucial five-Test series against England, questions are being raised about how India is handling its most lethal weapon.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes the series should have been the priority for Bumrah to feature in all five matches, not just three, as pre-planned by the Indian management.
“He is probably the top bowler in the world in all formats right now. So, it’s very difficult to decide a way to rest him,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
“But in my opinion, Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game. And this Test series probably would’ve been the one, in my opinion, to get him ready for all five Test matches.”
The 40-year-old, who faced Bumrah during the latter stages of his career, offered a comparison with how South Africa used to handle Dale Steyn, a bowler of similar pedigree and injury history.
“That’s what we used to do with Dale (Steyn). Rest him in lesser important T20 and ODI series and get him ready for the big Test series against Australia, England, and India away from home… New Zealand to a certain extent, depending on the rankings at that time,” he explained.
AB de Villiers on potential mismanagement
Bumrah’s potential absence in India’s second Test against England at Edgbaston has sparked debate, especially given the scale of the series and the conditions that demand his precision and pace. While De Villiers was unsure about the nature of the call, he didn’t rule out that the decision might be coming from medical advice.
“So, I don’t know if it was mismanagement or perhaps because he recently got back from injury, sort of saw the IPL as the warmup phase,” he said.
“Maybe, went to the surgeon, who let him know, ‘You can’t play the five Test matches.’ So, I mean you got to respect that, and at the end of the day, it’s up to Team India to sort of manage him well,” he added.
De Villiers signed off with a piercing observation: “It doesn’t get bigger than that, guys, except for maybe the WTC final.”