Bumrah is included in India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. Despite recent workload issues and playing only three England Tests, he confirmed his availability. BCCI aims to keep him fit for major events; his West Indies Test spot is still unclear.
Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been included in the 15-member India squad for the Asia Cup 2025, which was announced by BCCI senior men’s team, Ajit Agarkar, at a press conference at the board’s headquarters in Mumbai on Tuesday, August 19. The press conference was also attended by India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, alongside Agarkar.
There was an uncertainty over Bumrah’s availability for the Asia Cup 2025 as the BCCI was reportedly willing to give him an extended break before the home Test series against West Indies, which will start on October 2. However, ahead of the squad announcement, the 31-year-old informed the selectors about his willingness to play the eight-team competition, despite concerns over his workload management.
Bumrah’s workload management came into effect during the recently concluded Test series against England, wherein he played only three matches at Headingly, Lord’s, and Old Trafford, while he was rested for Edgbaston and The Oval Tests. Amid the fifth and final Test at the Oval, Jasprit Bumrah was released from the squad, and the BCCI did not mention the reason behind it in the statement.
Ajit Agarkar on Bumrah’s workload management
Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management became a huge topic of discussion during and post the England Test series, with many former cricketers, including Sandeep Patil, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Ravi Shastri, questioning his decision to play selective matches rather than the full series.
Addressing Bumrah’s workload, Ajit Agarkar stated that the pacer had gotten enough break after the England Test series, adding that the team and physios stay in regular contact to manage him, recognising his value for the team.
“I don’t think there is any written plan at the moment. There has been a nice break after the England series. The team management, the physios, or the people concerned are always in touch (with him). It’s not just now; even before his injury, we tried to look after him because we know how valuable he is,” Agarkar said at the press conference.
Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management was brought in, especially after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, when he suffered a back injury in the fifth and final Test at Sydney Cricket Ground and was out of action for three months before his comeback to competitive cricket in the IPL 2025. Before the England Test series, the selectors and team management had already decided that Bumrah would play only three matches out of five.
In the England Test series, Jasprit Bumrah picked 14 wickets, including two fifers, at an average of 26.00 and an economy rate of 3,04 in five innings.
Bumrah’s availability for the West Indies Test series
Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the Asia Cup 2025 is a major boost for the pace bowling attack, but the question is whether the BCCI will rest him from the West Indies Test series. India have been clubbed in Group A alongside the hosts UAE, arch-rivals Pakistan, and Oman, and the Men in Blue will likely qualify for the Super 4 stage.
If India finishes in the Top 2 of the Super 4 stage, they will qualify for the final, which will take place on September 28 at Dubai International Stadium. However, there will be only five gaps between the Asia Cup final and the first match of the Test series against West Indies in Ahmedabad, which leaves the selectors with a tough decision on whether to give Bumrah rest to manage his workload or carry the momentum from the Asia Cup into the longer format.
It is certain that Jasprit Bumrah is in plans for the T20 World Cup next year, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, and his inclusion in the India squad for the Asia Cup shows the selectors and team management’s intent to keep him match-ready while carefully managing his workload ahead of the Test series against the West Indies and the marquee event in 2026.
‘We want him available for all the big games’
Ajit Agarkar stated that the team wanted Jasprit Bumrah for all the big names, including the upcoming Asia Cup as well as the T20 World Cup next year, adding that the medical staff has been monitoring the fast bowlers with a keen eye on their injury concerns in the last couple of years.
“We want him available for all the big games. I know in international cricket, every game is a big game. But there are World Cups, there is the Champions Trophy, or big series like England or Australia. Because he has picked up an injury over the last 2-3 years, we pay extra attention due to how unique and how special he is, and it won’t change. It won’t change whether it’s this series or in the next 6 months,” the chief selector said.
“As we go along, how he is feeling and when we require him as a team, which is probably the most important thing, and along with the physios and the trainers, those things are monitored. We hope that he is available more often than not,” Agarkar added.
Jasprit Bumrah missed the Champions Trophy this year, which Team India won, as he was recovering from a back injury and undergoing rehabilitation in order to gain fitness before returning to IPL 2025 and then, for the Test series against England.