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Jasprit Bumrah Criticised For Skipping Tests In England: Irfan Pathan Says He "Held Back"

Rajgeeta Yadav

Irfan Pathan criticizes Jasprit Bumrah [Source: AFP and @IrfanPathan/X.com]Irfan Pathan criticizes Jasprit Bumrah [Source: AFP and @IrfanPathan/X.com]

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan has openly criticised fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for not playing all the Test matches during India's recent tour of England. The series, known as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, ended in a 2-2 draw.

Before the series started, BCCI had already announced that Bumrah wouldn't play all five Tests due to workload management , a way to keep him fresh and avoid injuries. As a result, Bumrah played only three matches and sat out two, at Edgbaston and The Oval, which coincidentally were the games India won.

Even though Bumrah bowled well, taking 14 wickets including two five-wicket hauls, India didn’t win any of the matches he played in. That led to questions about whether India missed chances to win when their lead fast bowler wasn’t in action.

Pathan Questions Bumrah’s Commitment In England Series

Irfan Pathan, now a cricket expert and commentator, said Bumrah could have done more. He pointed to the Lord’s Test where Bumrah bowled only five overs in a key spell against Joe Root, even though Root had often been dismissed by him in the past.

"There were moments, like when a sixth over was needed. I spoke about this during commentary as well. Joe Root had been dismissed by him 11 times, and in that Lord’s Test, Bumrah bowled five overs. Just one more over, the sixth, could have pushed harder. I felt he held back a little there. There was also some pick-and-choose, which I’ve always been against, and that was visible too," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Pathan rated Bumrah’s performance a 6 out of 10. He said that as a senior player, Bumrah has the responsibility to help win matches, and unfortunately, India didn’t win any of the Tests he played in. He added:

“Bumrah will get six out of ten. Why? The reason is that when you're a senior player, there is a lot of responsibility on you to win matches. He played in three Tests, and India didn't win any of them." 

Jasprit Bumrah’s Fitness Still A Concern For BCCI

Even though Bumrah played well, his fitness and workload continue to worry the team management and BCCI. They’re now looking to reduce his playing time in Tests matches to keep him fit for key tournaments.

There were earlier reports of a knee injury during the series, but the a report has confirmed that Bumrah is fully fit. In fact, he is expected to play in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 in UAE. But to ensure he stays injury-free, he may skip the Test series in the West Indies and instead focus on bigger matches like those against South Africa.