Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has stirred debate around Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management and role in India’s white-ball setup. Sharing his observations from the recent Asia Cup, Kaif pointed out that Bumrah, under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, bowled a three-over spell at the start of the innings, rather than being reserved for crucial death overs.
He noted that while Bumrah now prefers to bowl once his body is warmed up, limiting his presence in the slog overs could hand a significant advantage to stronger opponents in the upcoming World Cup.“Bumrah under Rohit would generally bowl overs 1, 13, 17, 19. Under Surya, in Asia cup, he bowled a three-overs spell at the start. To avoid injury, Bumrah these days, prefers to bowl while his body is warmed up. 1 over of Bumrah in the remaining 14 overs is a huge relief for batters, against stronger teams at World Cup, this could hurt india,” Kaif remarked on X. Despite the concerns, selectors have shown complete faith in the pace spearhead. Jasprit Bumrah was named in India’s 15-member squad on Thursday for the two-Test home series against West Indies beginning October 2 in Ahmedabad. Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Bumrah is “rested, fit, and eager to play both Tests” following an extended break after the England tour.The squad also features significant changes. Devdutt Padikkal has replaced Karun Nair, with Agarkar admitting the latter did not make the most of his opportunities in England.Sai Sudharsan, meanwhile, has been backed to secure the No.3 slot after impressing with his consistency. Vice-captaincy duties fall to Ravindra Jadeja in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who is expected to return for the South Africa series in November.Notably, Abhimanyu Easwaran finds himself out of contention despite years of travelling with the squad, while Mohammed Shami’s future remains uncertain amid fitness concerns.Squads:Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, N Jagadeesan (WK), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav.
