Jasprit Bumrah: Former India wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta came up with a suggestion to manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload after the pacers’ selection in India’s 2025 Asia Cup squad. While it was expected that Bumrah would miss the tournament after the England Tests, he has been included.
Deep Dasgupta reckoned that the team would need to have a fair idea of the big tournaments where they would require Jasprit Bumrah to play. Based on the same, he could be rested as and when possible to manage workload. However, Dasgupta added that India would need to ensure that Bumrah is not rusty going into big tournaments and plays enough cricket.
“How I would handle him is have an idea of what are the marquee tournaments or series that you would definitely want him, and then work around as and when his body needs a break. You also want him up and running. You don’t want somebody who hasn’t played a lot of cricket also. On one side, you need to manage his workload but you also need to make sure he goes into these big games having played some cricket,” he said in an exclusive interview with Sports Today.
The former cricketer reflected that the whole point behind Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management was to make sure he could play all three formats. He highlighted that India have seven back-to-back Tests against New Zealand and Australia at the end of 2026 and the start of 2027, which could be slightly tricky for Bumrah.
“You’ve got New Zealand series and Australia at home. Both of that is end of 2026 and starting of 2027. That is when it is going to be a little tricky because you are talking of back-to-back 7 Tests. And then post the IPL is the World Cup. So I think that is what is going to be tricky. But before that it is relatively easy to handle. And you also need to build the next generation of bowlers. This also gives you the opportunity to groom them,” he stated.
Bumrah played only three out of the five Tests in England recently to manage his workload. He is set to be the senior pacer in the side for the 2025 Asia Cup. However, it would be interesting to see how India uses him in the upcoming tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah last played a T20I during the 2024 T20 World Cup
Jasprit Bumrah’s selection in the 2025 Asia Cup squad also marked his return to the T20I fold. The ace pacer last featured in the format for India during the 2024 T20 World Cup. He played a huge role in their triumph as they beat South Africa in the final.
He returned figures of 2/18 from his four overs in the final. Jasprit Bumrah was the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps from eight games at an average of 8.26 and an economy-rate of 4.17.
He was named the ‘Player of the Series’ for his unbelievable numbers throughout the tournament. The only T20 cricket he played post the 2024 World Cup was for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2025. He bagged 18 wickets from 12 games at an average of 17.55 and an economy-rate of 6.67.
