 "Jasprit Bumrah was far from his best in the fourth Test at Manchester. Image: Reuters")
Owing to the incessant need to manage his workload, Jasprit Bumrah has not been included in the playing XI of the Oval Test , and thus, his England tour has come to an end. As promised, the pacer featured in three of the five Tests and finished the series with 14 wickets. In the wake of how things have turned out in the series, reports suggest that BCCI may contemplate revising its policy regarding Bumrah.
As India face a must-win situation at the Oval against England, the misery has further intensified as the biggest match-winner of the team is all tattered out and will not be there to rescue the side, leaving several question marks in front of the BCCI. As per the report by TOI, the team management endured a challenge in planning the long tour as it was not known which games Bumrah would play- or not play- due to his workload concerns.
BCCI may tweak policy related to Jasprit Bumrah
While BCCI was aware that Bumrah would not be able to play the entire series, it still made peace with the fact that he would at least play three games, and given the impact the bowler promises to bring in every match, it was seemingly a fair trade-off. However, as the troubles mounted due to uncertainty related to Bumrah, the BCCI may tweak the policy and consider him only when he can commit to playing the entire series. The report further stated that the medical team must provide Bumrah’s fitness report before every selection meeting.
“Strength and condition (S&C) coaches can set the workload threshold for each player. But Bumrah’s availability should depend on his fitness, which will be assessed by the medical team,” a BCCI source told TOI
The situation may not occur in the near future as India are not scheduled to feature in a five-Test series for a couple of years now. They will next take on the West Indies and South Africa in a two-test series at home this year.