AB de Villiers Asks Why India Restrict Jasprit Bumrah in England Test Series

Jasprit Bumrah is regarded as one of the best fast bowlers in the world today and fans waited eagerly to watch him play all five tests during India's tour of England. But Gautam Gambhir who is presently the Indian team's head coach made it abundantly clear that Bumrah will feature in no more than three of the five Test matches. This move raised many eyebrows particularly given how much of an importance a series in England is for any away team. England has never been an easy place to win and having a player like Bumrah who can change the game under those conditions might have proved to be a giant boon for India.

Former South African captain AB de Villiers publicly stated that he was disappointed with the decision and went as far as calling it mismanagement. He expressed his opinions on his YouTube channel where he told why Bumrah could have been playing in all five Tests. He spoke out of experience with Dale Steyn another high-class fast bowler who too had to be handled cautiously due to his workload. De Villiers says that the best way to handle a star bowler is by resting him in shorter versions of the game such as T20s and ODIs not during critical Test series such as this one. For him Test cricket is the pinnacle of the sport and a series such as the one in England must be an ultimate priority for any team and player.

Bumrah recently featured near the entire season of the Indian Premier League where he played for the Mumbai Indians. This contributes to the puzzlement over the choice since he obviously appeared healthy enough to play on a regular basis in the IPL that is also taxing in its own right. If he was able to navigate the entire league without problems then restricting him in a big Test series comes into doubt. De Villiers noted that and questioned whether playing in the IPL was utilized as a means of gradually reintroducing Bumrah into the game following his break due to injury.Despite that, the timing of the decision not to include him in two of the most important Tests in England appears odd to most.

De Villiers recognized that potentially there is some medical advice behind the action. Perhaps the physicians or experts could have suggested to Bumrah that he should not play all five matches due to his body's present condition or in order to avoid the risk of sustaining a new injury.Nevertheless, he did feel that there could have been more planning from the Indian team administration. He proposed that if workload indeed was an issue then Bumrah could have been rested earlier in other games or series that were not as crucial as this particular game.

He cited the example of how South Africa handled the scheduling of Dale Steyn. During their careers they would rest Steyn for minor limited-over series and only pressure him to play full Test tours when it really mattered. These tours used to be against tough teams such as Australia or India or when they had to tour challenging destinations such as England or New Zealand. Thus, Steyn could perform his best when it was most needed without being overworked in less crucial games. De Villiers feels the same should have been done for Bumrah since Test cricket particularly a long five-match series in England merits complete devotion from all the best players.

There is also the consideration that the Indian team might be attempting not to get another injury alarm with Bumrah. He has also had fitness issues before and that could be working in the selectors' and the coaching staff's minds. Maybe they don't want to take the risk of him breaking down during the course of a series. De Villiers still believes that that is not sufficient reason to exclude him from the fray in a high-pressure series. He made it very clear that it is not something which should be compromised in case the player is fit and available.

In such a scenario the onus lies with the team management to take the correct decision. Gambhir may have reasons for the move that are not yet known but most experts and fans feel that this is not how a player like Bumrah should be utilized. With high expectations and good opposition in a series like this each and every match matters and keeping a match-winner like Bumrah away from two of them is hard to defend. De Villiers encapsulated it by saying that other than the World Test Championship final there is no bigger in Test cricket than a whole series in England and you would like your best players to play all five matches.

Ultimately this has led to debate regarding the management of star players such as Bumrah particularly in Test cricket. With the explosion of T20 leagues and crowded international schedules it has become increasingly challenging to manage workload and player well-being. But according to veterans like AB de Villiers Test cricket should still take the top slot and such giant decisions should be taken with that in consideration. For now fans will have to hope that Bumrah’s presence in the three Tests he is allowed to play will be enough to give India a fighting chance in one of the toughest tours in world cricket.