AB de Villiers on Bumrah: The Indian cricket fraternity is divided over a major selection decision: Jasprit Bumrah, India’s pace spearhead, will feature in only 3 out of the 5 Test matches during the upcoming England tour 2025. This revelation, made by India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, has sparked a heated debate across the cricket world.
What has added fuel to the fire is former South Africa captain AB de Villiers’ bold criticism, calling the decision a potential case of mismanagement.
Gautam Gambhir, recently appointed as Team India’s head coach, has made it clear: Jasprit Bumrah will not play all five Test matches in the crucial series against England.
His justification? Workload management. Bumrah, who recently played a full IPL season for Mumbai Indians, is being protected from burnout. However, this logic hasn’t gone down well with many experts.
Critics argue:
Why not rest him in low-priority T20Is or ODIs?
Why limit his presence in the most challenging format — Test cricket?
AB de Villiers, known for his honest takes and deep cricketing insight, didn’t mince words. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:
“Bumrah is probably the top bowler in the world in all formats. Resting him in a marquee Test series like this is hard to understand.”
He further compared Bumrah’s case with South Africa’s legendary pacer Dale Steyn.
“We used to rest Dale in unimportant T20 and ODI series to keep him fresh for big Tests against India, Australia, and England.”
De Villiers even questioned the decision-making process:
“I don’t know if it’s mismanagement or maybe he’s still recovering from injury. But playing just 3 Tests in a five-match series doesn’t sit right with me.”
Winning a Test series in England has always been one of the toughest challenges for any Indian side. With swinging conditions, Duke ball, and long match durations, it’s a true test of temperament and skill.
In this context, not having Bumrah in two Tests could be a massive disadvantage. The Indian team, which hasn’t won a Test series in England since 2007, needs all its firepower to rewrite history.
Workload management is crucial, especially for bowlers with injury histories like Bumrah. But experts argue that:
IPL isn’t the place to test fitness if you’re planning for a crucial Test series.
Playing franchise cricket at full throttle and then skipping red-ball cricket raises valid concerns about priorities.
Bumrah’s absence in key games could cost India the World Test Championship (WTC) points.
De Villiers subtly pointed out the imbalance in Team India’s planning:
“You’ve got to manage your best bowlers well — save them for red-ball glory, not for domestic T20 leagues.”
The cricket community is buzzing:
Fans are disappointed, calling the move “short-sighted.”
Ex-players like Irfan Pathan and Wasim Jaffer have also hinted that Bumrah deserves to be prioritized for Test cricket.
The decision to restrict Jasprit Bumrah to just three Tests in one of the most important overseas tours is a double-edged sword.
If India wins the series with Bumrah’s help in key matches, Gambhir’s decision might be hailed as masterful strategy.
But if the series is lost, this choice could go down as one of the biggest blunders in Indian cricket’s modern history.
As AB de Villiers rightly said, it doesn’t get bigger than a five-Test series in England — except maybe the WTC final.
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