“Could Be Mismanagement” – AB de Villiers on Jasprit Bumrah’s Injury Concerns

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir said they are rotating players to help Jasprit Bumrah manage his workload and stay fit.

India’s top fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will play only three out of the five Test matches during the current tour of England. But former South African captain AB de Villiers has raised concerns about this decision, especially after India lost the first Test. He feels that leaving Bumrah out in an important series like this might be a mistake and possibly poor planning.

Since England’s pitches help fast bowlers, Bumrah’s presence is very important for India. Even though he played almost the entire IPL season for Mumbai Indians, he won’t play all the Test matches in this series. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir explained that Bumrah is being rested to manage his workload through a rotation plan.

In the first match of the series at Headingley, England won by five wickets, and it became clear that India was depending too much on Jasprit Bumrah. Although Bumrah took five wickets in the first innings, the other Indian bowlers couldn’t build any pressure. AB de Villiers compared Bumrah’s situation to how South Africa used to carefully manage Dale Steyn’s workload.

He said, “Bumrah is probably the best bowler in the world across all formats right now. It’s tough to decide when to give him rest. But I believe Test cricket is the highest level of the game, and this series was the perfect chance to prepare him to play all five Tests.”

AB de Villiers said in a video on his YouTube channel, “We used to do the same with Dale Steyn. We gave him rest during less important T20 and ODI series so he could be fully ready for big Test series against strong teams like Australia, England, and India, especially when playing away. Sometimes we did the same for New Zealand, depending on their ranking at the time.”

“Team India Must Handle Bumrah Wisely,” Says AB de Villiers

The former South Africa captain suggested that the decision might have been due to poor planning or confusion within the Indian team. He also said medical advice may have played a role, highlighting that Test matches should be the top priority.

“I’m not sure if it was mismanagement or just because he was coming back from injury and used the IPL as a warm-up. Maybe his doctor told him, ‘You can’t play all five Test matches.’ So, in the end, you have to respect that. It’s India’s responsibility to manage him properly,” he said.