Should Jasprit Bumrah be allowed to pick and choose which Test matches he plays for India? Now, before anyone accuses the writer of undervaluing Jasprit Bumrah or being insensitive toward the 31-year-old pacer, who has constantly battled back injuries.Jasprit Bumrah is undoubtedly one of India’s most crucial bowlers. However, a surprising trend has emerged in India’s Test match performance, showing a higher win rate in his absence. Here’s exploring the statistics behind this phenomenon and its potential causes.
In the series, Jasprit Bumrah played just thee out of the five games, owing to workload management issues, but sill ended up picking 14 wickets including two five-wicket hauls. Many legends including Sunil Gavaskar has spoken out against workload management, and now former India batter Sandeep Patil has lashed out against it.
Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management- A selection dilenma or a thoughtful strategy
There is hard talk flowing about Jasprit Bumrah not playing the entire series , amidst the euphoria of the Indian cricket team’s remarkable win over England in the recent Oval Test, where the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar series ended 2-2, . That Jasprit Bumrah would not be part of all five Test matches was known before the first ball of the opening Test at Leeds was bowled.
Eyebrows were raised initially, but it didn’t take time for rage to set in when Jasprit Bumrah didn’t play the second Test at Birmingham, where India needed him to neutralise England’s series lead. Luckily for the visitors, a historic victory was achieved in Birmingham — their first at the venue in India vs England rivalry. Jasprit Bumrah played the third Test at Lord’s, but his seven scalps in the Test went in vain.
The fourth Test was drawn at Manchester, where Jasprit Bumrah played. Hopes were raised that the world’s most feared fast bowler would figure in the series-decider at the Oval, but he didn’t.
Critics refused to belt up, even as some allowances should be made for the danger of breaking down, which could lead to greater harm to our fast bowling treasure’s body. India got lucky again as others in the Mohammed Siraj-led bowling attack stepped up to guide India to a famous win on Monday. Amidst the heartburn over Jasprit Bumrah, it was the best possible end for India.
Moreover,Jasprit Bumrah is a three-format player. And not just any three-format player but inarguably the best in the world, which means every team wants him in the playing XI as often as possible. Seen through that lens, Bumrah’s 48 Tests are actually quite sizeable. And it’s not as if he’ll stop at that number either.
In the England series, by a strange quirk of fate, India won the two Tests in which Bumrah was rested. Predictably, that meant people drew a correlation between these two events. It should be emphatically said therefore, that an Indian Test XI with Bumrah in it will always be better than one without him in it. India did win the two Tests he didn’t feature in, but that’s just how cricket goes sometimes: the conditions are different, other players’ form is different, there might be a dose of luck that wasn’t there.
Even in defeats, Jasprit Bumrah averages 26 with the ball, which is just astounding. He is better than the par figures in an Indian attack on every single metric across wins, draws or defeats. Looking at the batting is even more instructive. In Test match wins Bumrah has been a part of, India’s collective batting average has been 33.4. In defeats, that number plummets to 21.8. And in the handful of draws, it’s 43.0. The conclusion is inescapable: batting collapses have been a big part of India’s defeats.
While many criticized the absense of Jasprit Bumrah in all important Oval test, Former Indian cricketer Sandeep Patil has slammed the maangement regarding workload issues for the fast bowlers.
Workload management is nonsense- Sandeep Patil
Former India cricketer Sandeep Patil has said that the physio is not supposed to be more important than the captain of the team and a player should be available as and when the team needs him/her, adding that the much-discussed workload management is ‘nonsense’.Workload management has become important in recent years, aiming to prevent injuries and help players stay fit to play more games.
“I wonder how the BCCI is agreeing to all this. Is the physio more important than the captain, than the head coach? What about selectors? Are we to expect that the physio will be sitting in selection committee meetings now?” Patil said while speaking to Mid-Day.Â
“Workload management is nonsense. You are either fit or unfit and that’s how we [his selection committee] picked teams. We did not entertain this workload business,” Patil added.Â
“I marvel at the strokes batters play now. In our time, we used to be scolded by Sunil Gavaskar if we tried any fancy strokes, but times have changed and we accept that. What I cannot digest is how players are missing games,” Patil said.
Reports suggest that the selection committee, head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI decision-makers are united in their stance to end the practice of players choosing games and series under the guise of workload management.
“It doesn’t mean that workload management will be thrown out of the window, but a more objective approach is expected shortly. Pacers’ workload needs to be managed, but it can’t be accepted that in the name of workload management, people will miss crucial matches,” a BCCI official recently told PTI.
Even England skipper Ben Stokes, despite dealing with several problems, bowled long spells through to the end of the fourth Test, sparking debate over whether workload has become an “overrated concept” used for convenience.
Jasprit Bumrah’s frequent injuries have kept him out of action, and during those times, the team has showcased its ability to win without him. His absence from key tournaments like the 2022 T20 World Cup, 2023 WTC Final, and 2025 Champions Trophy has provided opportunities for others to shine, further solidifying the team’s bench strength.
There are serious question marks over Bumrah’s longevity at the moment, and it could only get worse with growing age and fresh injuries. In such a case, giving him an option to play a few Test matches of a series can’t be the best option.
Not because we don’t need Bumrah, but perhaps because we need him more elsewhere. The T20 World Cup is coming up next year, and the ODI World Cup follows in 2027. India have long dreamt of building a streak of ICC trophy wins and establishing themselves as a dominant force. Bumrah could be the key to that enviable dream. Surely, the BCCI knows it.
It would allow India to firm up a regular bowling attack in Tests, because let’s be honest, constant chopping and changing hampers rhythm and team plans. A few fans have also said that allowing one member of the team to pick and choose games can set a bad precedent, but if that’s the case, the team management would be the first to act.
What we clearly know is that for the first time, Jasprit Bumrah is looking mortal. But if managed well, he can still take India to major trophy wins, which is what he deserves.
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