Ravichandran Ashwin has advised that Jasprit Bumrah should play regularly only in T20 cricket.
Bumrah is currently the top-ranked bowler in the ICC Test rankings, and no one is even close to him. He is the spearhead of India’s bowling attack. Yet, surprisingly, India’s own Test great Ravichandran Ashwin does not want to see him play Test cricket too often. According to the former spinner, Bumrah should only be used in very important situations and mostly for overseas Test matches.
Debates around managing Bumrah’s workload are constant in Indian cricket. His injury-prone body has already kept him out of many matches. The same unorthodox action that makes him so tough for batters to face also pushes him toward repeated injuries. That is the main concern for Ashwin.
Ashwin himself eventually became more of a Test specialist for India, despite playing all three formats earlier. But given Bumrah’s reality, Ashwin feels the pacer should feature regularly only in T20 cricket. He shared this view during a YouTube discussion with South African great AB de Villiers.
“My relationship with him is great. If I were around him right now, I would go and tell him, ‘You… you should only play the white-ball formats. Until the moment India really needs you, you don’t have to step into the Test team.’ That is what I would tell him. But since I know him personally, I know he absolutely loves Test cricket. He wants to play it for as long as possible. And he knows it is going to be a challenge.”
“But for Indian cricket’s sake, and for Bumrah’s own sake, I want to see him more in T20 cricket. I don’t want to see him in meaningless ODIs either. Only in important Test matches… only overseas. And I also want India to build a separate group of fast bowlers to handle the Tests at home.”
De Villiers mostly agreed with Ashwin’s thoughts on managing Bumrah.
“If it were up to me, I would keep him away from all home Tests and all Tests in the subcontinent. I would only play him abroad… Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England… in all those Test matches, and make sure he stays fresh for them. And of course, I would keep him more focused on white-ball cricket, because that’s where the World Cup is.”
This strategy, as discussed by Ashwin and de Villiers, has largely been applied throughout Bumrah’s career already. Of his 52 Tests, 36 have been overseas. Interestingly, his bowling average and strike rate are actually better in home conditions.
Even though he suggests limiting Bumrah’s Test workload, Ashwin has zero doubts about the pacer’s greatness. To him, Bumrah has been the key match-winner for India in recent years.
“Bumrah is a treasure for India. His unique action sets him apart from everyone else, but that very action puts him at risk physically. For the future, I still see him as a true champion—someone who has delivered some unforgettable wins for India over the past few years.”
