Reports: Jasprit Bumrah to be rested for England ODIs ahead of Champions Trophy 2025. (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been the standout bowler during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He is the leading wicket-taker, having bagged 30 scalps from four Tests at an average of 12.83. The right-arm seamer hasn’t received a lot of support from his fellow bowlers. His workload has been a concern as India gears up for some important assignments in the coming months.
After the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney, India will return home to host England in a white-ball series. The two cricketing giants will lock horns in five T20Is and three ODIs from January 22 to February 12.
According to a report from India Today, the star pacer, who has been nominated for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award for 2024, will be given a rest ahead of the highly-anticipated Champions Trophy. He is likely to miss the T20I as well as the ODI series. Bumrah is expected to play a key role in the Sydney Test, as India are trailing 1-2 in the series. A win in the fifth Test will not only help them retain the series but also keep their World Test Championship (WTC) hopes alive.
India captain Rohit Sharma, speaking to the press after the team’s shambolic 184-run defeat in Melbourne, admitted the risks of overbowling Bumrah, especially given his massive workload during the series.
“There is to be honest (risk of overbowling Bumrah). He has bowled a lot of overs, there’s no doubt about it. But again, every Test match we play, we keep that in mind, the workloads of all the bowlers in fact. But again, if somebody is in such great form, you want to try and maximise that form how-much-ever you can and that is what we’ve been trying to do with Bumrah,” Rohit said.
“There comes a time when you need to step back a little bit and give him that little bit of extra breather as well. So we’ve been very careful. I’ve been very careful. I talked to him about how he feels and stuff like that. So yeah, those things should be managed carefully, and I’m trying to do that on the field,” he added.
Also Read: AUS vs IND: Jasprit Bumrah becomes India’s most successful Test bowler in SENA nations
With the Sydney Test, Bumrah would have played 10 red-ball encounters within a span of just four months. India will want the 31-year-old to be fresh and raring to go during the Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19.
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