In order to manage his workload, Indian pace leader Jasprit Bumrah only played three Test matches during the series against England. However, former BCCI chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma has defended the bowler, stating that players should follow the advice of the physiotherapists since they are the “better judges.”
In the Anderson-Tendulkar five-match series, Mohammed Siraj led the pace-bowling attack while the injury-prone Bumrah played the first, third, and fourth Tests, missing two games.
Sharma, a former fast bowler himself, compared it to a patient being forced to do as their doctor says.
“If the medical team advises, if the doctor tells me that I have to take antibiotics, then I have to consume them. “If our physios is telling a player to manage workload, I think we should listen to them because they are the better judges,” Sharma said.
The team’s performance in the England Test series gave him confidence that it will win the Asia Cup, which starts in the United Arab Emirates next month, Sharma, who formed a strong partnership with Kapil Dev for almost five years and went on to take over 125 wickets in Tests and ODIs before taking over as chairman of selectors, added.
“I know that whoever is selected will be the best for the country. And the kind of cricket we are playing right now, I’m really proud with the way India played in England.
“And I’m very confident that we are definitely going to win the Asia Cup (to be played in T20 format) because soon after that we are playing the T20 World Cup (in 2026) in India.
“It’s a very big thing when you are playing (the World Cup) in your own backyard. If the intent is right, the results will also be good,” said Sharma.
Regarding the inclusion of Test captain Shubman Gill, who recently scored four hundreds in the drawn Test series against England, in the Asia Cup team captained by the dynamic batsman Syuryakumar Yadav, Sharma stated that India should choose its best 15-man team for the continental championship.
“Look, that is up to the selectors what they see. My opinion does not matter because I am no longer the chairman (of selectors), so I will only say that the best possible team should be selected.
“We have such good cricketers that not just the top-15 but even if the top-30 are selected, they are all very good. Really proud of them,” he added.
