Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Jasprit Bumrah’s decision to miss India’s upcoming tour of the United Kingdom has drawn heavy criticism from former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, who openly questioned the premier fast bowler’s commitment to the national team.
The controversy sparked following the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) squad announcement on Saturday, June 6, for the two-match T20I series against Ireland and the subsequent five-match T20I series against England. Bumrah’s absence from the roster caught many by surprise, prompting an immediate defence from the selection committee regarding his workload management.
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India T20 Squad Selection: As it Happened
THE SELECTOR’S VIEW: PRIORITISING TESTS AND ODIs
Speaking at the press conference, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained that managing Bumrah’s schedule is essential to keeping him primed for marquee tournaments, specifically the upcoming One-Day World Cup and the grueling World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
“We know how important he is,” Agarkar told reporters. “The main aim is to try and keep him fit for the Test and the ODI formats. If we can have Jasprit play the majority of those games and still keep him fit and healthy, that’s always the goal.”
Agarkar emphasised that because of the sheer volume of T20 cricket played globally, the ace speedster can be brought back into the shortest format whenever necessary. He also confirmed that while Bumrah is skipping the UK tour, he has been included in the squad for the Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, scheduled to begin on September 19.
MANJREKAR BAFFLED BY ‘PICK AND CHOOSE APPROACH’
However, Manjrekar found the reasoning hard to swallow, especially given Bumrah’s recent active participation in domestic franchise cricket. Expressing his confusion over the trajectory of the pacer’s international career, the cricketer-turned-commentator admitted he had initially envisioned Bumrah leading the national T20 side.
“I’m just confused about how his career is progressing with regard to his availability,” Manjrekar said on the Sony Sports Network. “I thought Jasprit Bumrah was the frontrunner to become India’s T20 captain because I felt the T20 workload was something he could handle. But it seems he’s not particularly keen on playing every game that India plays.”
Manjrekar took issue with the philosophy of a player resting during bilateral national assignments to preserve themselves for specific tournaments.
“Here is a player who actually rests for certain India matches to keep himself fit for specific assignments. It’s a very different approach, and honestly, it’s something I don’t fully understand. I just wish he would commit himself more to India,” Manjrekar added.
“I can understand workload management when it comes to Test cricket, and even 50-over cricket can be extremely demanding. But considering he played the entire IPL, I thought he would be able to handle a few T20 matches in Ireland and England.”
CAPTAINCY VACUUM
Beyond the bowling department, Manjrekar noted that Bumrah’s frequent absences have significantly altered India’s leadership succession plans. By seemingly stepping away from a full-time captaincy role due to availability issues, other young stars are getting the nod much sooner than anticipated.
With Bumrah out of the picture for leadership roles in the shortest format, the captaincy responsibilities for the UK tour have shifted with Shreyas Iyer taking charge in as the new T20I captain for the Men in Blue.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
