Despite criticism surrounding the workload management plan of Jasprit Bumrah, chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Tuesday asserted that the way the pace talisman is handled will not be changed as they want him “available for all the big games.”
Jasprit Bumrah has been included in India’s 15-member T20 squad for the Asia Cup starting September 9 in the UAE. There have been some sharp talks after Jasprit Bumrah played only three out of the five matches at the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, citing workload management.
Jasprit Bumrah makes his return to India’s white-ball setup for the first time since the 2024 T20 World Cup. The pacer, who has only featured in Test cricket since last year’s T20 World Cup final, was rested from limited-overs assignments and also missed the ICC Champions Trophy due to injury. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the bowling unit alongside the 2024 ICC Men’s T20I Player of the Year Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.
Jasprit Bumrah’s impressive form in white ball cricket
With his unorthodox action and unflappable temperament, Jasprit Bumrah has been India’s go-to match-winner for nearly a decade, delivering, time and again, in high-stakes situations, most notably at the T20 World Cup 2024.In India, where spinners have traditionally dominated the wicket-taking charts, Bumrah has quietly led a pace revolution.
Since his international debut in 2016, Bumrah has delivered in every condition and situation imaginable – with the new ball, at the death, under the lights or under pressure. In SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia), Bumrah is the only Asian bowler to pick up over 150 Test wickets, more than legends like Wasim Akram (146), Anil Kumble (141), Ishant Sharma (130) and Muttiah Muralitharan (125).
In July 2025 against England at Lord’s, Bumrah registered his 13th Test fifer away from home in 35 matches, breaking Kapil Dev’s record of 12 in 66 games. At the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the West Indies, Bumrah finished with 15 wickets from eight matches at an average of 8.26 and an economy of just 4.17 – the lowest by any bowler across all T20 World Cup editions.
When South Africa needed a run-a-ball in the last five overs in the final, Bumrah’s last two overs produced six runs and a wicket. India eventually won the match by seven runs, with Bumrah finishing with 2/18 off his four overs. His performances also earned him the Player of the Tournament award.
Impact aside, the numbers cement Bumrah’s place in the fast-bowling hall of fame. But how does he stack up against India’s best from across the eras. Let’s take a look! Bumrah, still only 31, has represented India in over 200 matches across formats, picking up more than 450 wickets. Seeing this credentials in white ball cricket, Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu has reserved special praise for this Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah.
Ambati Rayudu in all praise of Jasprit Bumrah as he compares him to Zaheer Khan ahead of Asia Cup 2025
Former middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu has reserved big praise for star Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. According to Rayudu, who shared the dressing room with Bumrah during his early days in the IPL for Mumbai Indians and Team India in ODIs and T20Is, no one is even close to Bumrah, and the 31-year-old pacer, along with Zaheer Khan are two best fast bowlers India has ever produced.
Rayudu made the bold statement during his recent appearance on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel. He was asked to pick between Bumrah and Dale Steyn, and in reply he said,
“Bumrah ke aaspaas koi bhi nahi hai (Nobody is even close to Bumrah). Zak Bhai (Zaheer Khan) because he used to take care of the entire bowling attack. Zak Bhai and Bumrah, I think, will be the best fast bowlers India has ever had,” Rayudu said.
During the discussion, Rayudu, who played 55 ODIs and six T20Is for India from 2013 to 2019, was asked to name his top-three ODI and T20 batters.
He included Rohit Sharma as his No. 1 T20 batter, and the all-time leading run-getter in T20Is was followed by AB de Villiers and Suryakumar Yadav. In the 50-over format of the game, Rayudu picked Virat Kohli as No. 1, Sachin Tendulkar as No. 2 and Virender Sehwag as No. 3.
When asked to name his all-time IPL XI, Rayudu included Rohit as an opener along with Chris Gayle, and the duo was followed by Kohli, Raina, and Surya. He included Dhoni at 6 and his former teammates Kieron Pollard and DJ Bravo as finishers. Bumrah and Lasith Malinga were the two pacers in Rayudu’s all-time team, and the spinner’s slot was given to Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine.
India have been placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, and will begin their campaign against the UAE on September 10. Group B consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong.
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