India’s sensational win in the fifth Test against England to level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series 2-2 wasn’t the sole piece of good news for Indian cricket enthusiasts. There’s also relief as it’s confirmed that the pacer was rested for the last Test at The Oval solely for workload reasons not because of injury.
As per report by Hindustan Times, Bumrah is match fit and likely to play in the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9.
“As announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar at the time of the team selection, the decision on the number of Tests Bumrah will be able to play was taken in advance by the medical and fitness team. If he was injured, he would be going to BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for recovery and rehab,” an official told Hindustan Times
Strategic Rest, Not Injury
Bumrah had played in the first, third and fourth Test against England. Having a choice between using him in the fourth or fifth Test, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and the support team chose to use him for the Manchester Test, particularly because India were already 1-2 down at that stage of the series.
During the course of the series, Bumrah bowled 119.4 overs in three Tests, a hard pace for any fast bowler. There were only three days between the fourth and fifth games, so the team went slow, resting their best pacer to prevent injury, especially after he had earlier broken down in the last Test of the 2024–25 Australia tour in Sydney, playing all five matches there.
Managing India’s Most Valuable Pacer
Bumrah has been the backbone of India’s bowling line-up across formats. In Test cricket alone, he has 219 wickets in 48 matches at an unbelievable average of 19.82 and strike rate of 42.6 – figures which put him among the world’s leading pacers. But there has also been a backdrop of nagging fitness issues, most critically a severe back injury that needed surgery.
With so much value attached, the Indian team has been very cautious in deploying Bumrah, limiting him mostly to massive ICC events and high-profile bilateral series in order to maintain his longevity.
With Bumrah declared fit, India’s prospects at the Asia Cup 2025 have been given a welcome fillip. The event will start on September 9, and the availability of a fully rested Bumrah can prove to be game-changing as India looks to fine-tune its team before the T20 World Cup.
