Former cricketer Ajay Jadeja questioned why India is playing Jasprit Bumrah against a weaker team like UAE instead of resting him to manage his workload.
Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja questioned the decision to play Jasprit Bumrah in India’s Asia Cup opener against the UAE. He pointed out that the star pacer has often been carefully managed and protected from too much action.
Bumrah is set to make his white-ball comeback after being rested from bilateral T20 series following the 2024 T20 World Cup. He last played in Tests and missed several shorter-format games.
Jadeja argued that if the team wants to manage his fitness, they should avoid playing him against weaker teams like the UAE. He suggested that either the team should not rest him at all or give him a break in such matches.
“What is the need to play Bumrah tomorrow, man? Usually, you keep him wrapped in cotton wool. Now you need him even against the UAE? Either don’t protect him at all, or if you need to preserve him, then do it in this type of match,” Jadeja said while speaking on Sony Sports.
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“Logic dictates that, but we never do things with logic. I will go on strike if Bumrah plays,” he added.
Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan believes Jasprit Bumrah should play the entire Asia Cup once selected. He feels that if a player joins a tournament, they should fully participate instead of treating it as a recovery phase.
“You need to protect Bumrah, I understand. But my opinion is and I have said this during the England tour as well, that if you have come to play a series, then you have to play it completely. You haven’t come into a series for recovery or management, you have come to play,” Irfan said.
The tournament started on September 9 in Abu Dhabi, with Afghanistan beating Hong Kong by 94 runs in the opening match.
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Last Updated on September 10, 2025
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