Mohammed Siraj Finally Breaks Silence On 'Workload Management' Row Involving Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah's workload management has often been questioned on social media, but India pacer Mohammed Siraj justified his decisions.
- Mohammad Siraj defended BCCI's management of Jasprit Bumrah's workload in the recent past
- Bumrah played only three out of five Tests in England, and is not part of India's squad for the Australia ODIs
- "Indian fans need to understand how important Bumrah is. If he's injured, how will he perform?" Siraj said
The workload management of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been a cause of headache for Team India in the recent past. Following a serious back injury against Australia earlier in 2025, the Indian management have been firm on managing Bumrah's workload, as he played only three out of five Tests against England. While questions have been raised about the extent of Bumrah's workload management, his India pace partner Mohammed Siraj explained why it is necessary and justified the decisions taken by Bumrah.
Bumrah, who suffered his last big injury in the fifth Test against Australia in January, played only three out of the five Tests in India's tour of England. Siraj justified this call, stating that had Bumrah gotten injured again, his cricket career may have been thrown into doubt.
"He (Bumrah) doesn't worry about outside noise. He had a serious back injury and a big surgery. Had he bowled in that match, one can't say whether he would have bowled again or not, if he had broken down. It's that serious," Siraj stated, speaking on the Indian Express Idea Exchange.
"His availability is very important for India. The Asia Cup just happened, the T20 World Cup is there next year, then the (50-over) World Cup in 2027. Indian fans need to understand how important he is to the team. He is the backbone. He wants to perform for his country whenever he's available. But if he's injured, how will he perform?" Siraj added.
"It's a delicate situation. If he had any other injury, maybe he could play more, but recovering from a back injury is very difficult, because his run-up and bowling action is very difficult. So I think Jassi bhai (Bumrah) took the perfect decision," Siraj stated.
Bumrah is part of India's squad for the two-match home Test series against West Indies. However, while he will play the T20Is against Australia Down Under later in the month, he hasn't been included in the ODI squad for the same tour.
Jasprit Bumrah
India Cricket Team