The focus has once again shifted to star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and the ongoing discussion about workload management as India enters the fourth Test match against England in Manchester in a must-win scenario. Shubman Gill and the team must win the next game because the visitors are behind 1-2 in the five-match series. Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has expressed his opinions on Jasprit Bumrah possible availability and the problem of player workload in light of injury worries and the squad’s restricted choices.
In order to maintain his fitness, Indian management had stated prior to the start of the series that Jasprit Bumrah will only play three of the five Test matches. His workload during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 in Australia, when he bowled for extended periods of time and sustained a back injury, had an impact on the decision. Jasprit Bumrah is currently only anticipated to play one of the final two Test matches in the England series, having already appeared in two of them.
However, the visitors are anticipated to bring in Bumrah for the crucial game at Old Trafford because the team is hampered by a number of ailments, including those to Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, and Akash Deep. The former questioned the misuse of the term workload management in contemporary cricket when speaking on the sidelines of the WCL 2025.
Workload management is a novel concept. When the IPL arrived, people claimed that I could bowl 24 balls in a match and they would be perfect, so they trained that way. If you travel across time? How much work was involved? Fitness was the workload. The players previously participated in a five-match series. However, you should use caution if someone is worried about the injuries, Harbhajan Singh stated.
The most truthful cricket player is Jasprit Bumrah: Harbhajan
Jasprit Bumrah is one of the most honest cricket players in the game right now, according to Harbhajan. However, he pointed out that the ace fast bowler injured himself in Australia by overbowling.
“You see, though, Jasprit Bumrah is the most truthful cricket player there is. He will bowl you a 10-over spell if he is not in pain in addition to a 4-over spell. He also did that in Australia. There, he bowled so much that he suffered an injury. He does a good job of contributing to that. Because of his brief run-up and the need to bowl quickly, his action finishes with a lot of physical strain. Make him play five tests if his health permits. India will win the series if he plays five Test matches. “Any opposition will tell you that they would rather not face Bumrah,” he continued.
In addition, Harbhajan pushed the team management to add wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav to the starting XI because he thought the player may be the secret weapon against England’s Bazball strategy. He also bemoaned the way teenage batsman Sai Sudharsan was treated, being dropped after just one Test match.
“Kuldeep ought to be on the pitch. England will not be able to play the style of cricket they want against Kuldeep. He might be your secret bowler when you play them. One batter must be cut from the squad. If it were up to me, I would bring in Kuldeep and dismiss Nitish Reddy. Sai Sudharsan is the one I would have stayed with. After only one game, I wouldn’t have dismissed him.
You need to have stayed with him for at least three games after giving him a chance at No. 3 ahead of Karun Nair. Given his extraordinary talent, the team management ought to support him. You dropped him after playing him over Karun. He came to the conclusion, “Now that you want to drop Karun from the next game as well, this just ruins the flow, doesn’t it?”
India
