Ajit Agarkar, BCCI chief selector, asserted that they have no written plan to manage Jasprit Bumrah‘s workload but maintained suspense by admitting that he is monitored closely by the management and the physios. Bumrah has come under the scanner after he missed out on a couple of Tests on the recently concluded England tour due to workload management. He faced flak from former cricketers like Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sandeep Patil, and others for picking and choosing matches to his convenience.
The premier pacer, who last played a T20I for India in the 2024 World Cup final, has been included in the squad for the Asia Cup 2025. He will be leading the Indian pace attack comprising Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and fast-bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.
Amid the ongoing discussion over his workload, Agarkar backed Jasprit Bumrah, clarifying that while there isn’t a fixed plan in place, the focus remains on ensuring the pacer is available for the crucial matches.
“I don’t think there’s any written plan at the moment. Obviously, there’s been a nice break after the England series as well. The team management or the physios or the people concerned are always in touch. It’s not just now—even before his injury, we’ve tried to look after him because we know how valuable he is. Clearly, we want him available for all the big games. I know international cricket—every game is a big game—but there are World Cups, Champions Trophies or big series like England or Australia where you want him available at the time, so that he’s… Most fast bowlers are monitored,” Agarkar said in the press conference.
“Hope that Bumrah is available more often than not”
The BCCI chief selector highlighted the importance of managing Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness with extra caution, stressing his unique value to the team. He explained that injury concerns over the past few years have led to close monitoring by the support staff to ensure Bumrah’s availability for crucial matches.
“And yes, because he’s picked up an injury over the last two or three years, there’s extra care taken—how unique and how special he is—and it won’t change. It won’t change whether it’s this series or maybe the next six months as we go along—how he’s feeling, when we require him as a team, which is probably the most important thing. Along with the physios and the trainers, those things are monitored anyway. So, we hope that he’s available more often than not,” he concluded.
