Dilip Vengsarkar Blasts Ajit Agarkar, Drags Mumbai Indians In Jasprit Bumrah Workload Debate
Jasprit Bumrah's workload management in international cricket continues to draw criticism from some of the greats of the game.
- Jasprit Bumrah played only three of five Tests against England due to workload management
- Dilip Vengsarkar suggested Bumrah should have missed IPL 2025 to be fully fit for England Tests
- Vengsarkar said if he was BCCI chief selector, things would've been managed quite differently
India's marquee Jasprit Bumrah only featured in three of the five Tests against England due to 'workload management', with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deciding to do so in order to keep him fit for the forthcoming assignments. Though India went on to draw the series 2-2, winning only those two matches that Bumrah wasn't a part of, Indian cricket great Dilip Vengsarkar feels the team could've used the pacer to his full potential had he given the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign a miss instead.
As players' workload gets managed by the BCCI on the international stage, none of Indian cricket's superstars are seen missing IPL campaigns for their franchises. Vengsarkar feels if he was the chief selector, he would've convinced the Mumbai Indians to let Bumrah miss a few games or the entire season, before the England tour.
"Considering the importance of the India versus England Tests series and his fragile back, Bumrah should have been told by the BCCI, selectors and the Indian team management to miss IPL-2025. It was very important that we had a fully fit and refreshed Bumrah for this iconic series," Vengsarkar told Times of India.
"If I was the India chief selector, I would have convinced Mukesh Ambani (Mumbai Indians owner) and Bumrah that it was important for Bumrah to miss the IPL for the England series, or play a lesser number of matches in the IPL. I'm sure that they would have agreed to do so," he added.
Vengsarkar shed light on the importance of performing in big Test assignments like the recently-concluded England tour. Citing Mohammed Siraj's example, Vengsarkar said that Bumrah's wickets in the IPL won't be remembered as much as the performance of those who shone on the England tour.
"Who remembers the runs and wickets taken in the IPL? However, people will remember Mohammed Siraj's lion-hearted performance in this series, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rishabh Pant's sublime batting, and Washington Sundar's superb all-round performance," said Vengsarkar.
"It was a series for the ages and I wish Bumrah was available for almost all the Tests. We could have won the series if that was the case," said Vengsarkar.
"You can't blame Bumrah for missing matches at times. We must remember that Bumrah has undergone back surgery. His back is vulnerable, and we must be cautious with him. You can't question his commitment for the country. He has given his all whenever he has played for India. I hope he returns for India after adequate rest and when fully fit," he added.
India Cricket Team
Mumbai Indians
Jasprit Bumrah