MUMBAI: Wading into the debate around Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management, which saw him play just three out of five Tests in England, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has asserted that India’s ace pacer should have been asked by the decision-makers in Indian cricket to miss IPL-2025 to keep himself refreshed and well-rested for the iconic India versus England five-Test series this summer, which ended in a 2-2 stalemate.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Considering the importance of the India versus England Tests series and his fragile back, Bumrah should have been told by the BCCI, selectors and the Indian team management to miss IPL-2025. It was very important that we had a fully fit and refreshed Bumrah for this iconic series. If I was the India chief selector, I would have convinced Mukesh Ambani (Mumbai Indians owner) and Bumrah that it was important for Bumrah to miss the IPL for the England series, or play a lesser number of matches in the IPL. I’m sure that they would have agreed to do so.
“Who remembers the runs and wickets taken in the IPL? However, people will remember Mohammed Siraj’s lion-hearted performance in this series (23 wickets in five Tests), Shubman Gill (754 runs in five Tests), KL Rahul (532), Yashasvi Jaiswal (411 runs) and Rishabh Pant’s (479) sublime batting, and Washington Sundar’s superb all-round performance (284 runs & seven wickets in four Tests). A series like this one takes place probably once in four years. I believe India are not playing a five-Test series till Jan 2027 (against Australia). It was a series for the ages and I wish Bumrah was available for almost all the Tests. We could have won the series if that was the case,” Vengsarkar told TOI on Sunday.Returning from a back injury which forced him to miss the 2025 Champions Trophy in UAE, Bumrah played in 12 matches in IPL-2025 for MI, bowling 47.2 overs in which he took 18 wickets. The 31-year-old took 14 wickets in three Tests@26.00 in the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, and was under-fire for missing the crucial third and fifth Tests of the series due to workload management.However, Vengsarkar doesn’t agree with Bumrah’s critics who feel that he shouldn’t miss Tests because of workload management issues. “You can’t blame Bumrah for missing matches at times. We must remember that Bumrah has undergone a back surgery. His back is vulnerable and we must be cautious with him. You can’t question his commitment for the country. He has given his all whenever he has played for India. I hope he returns for India after adequate rest and when fully fit,” he felt. ‘Would have asked Kohli to play in England series before quitting Tests’Vengsarkar felt that in his own opinion, former India captain Virat Kohli, who quit Tests just before the England tour, should have been asked to take retirement after playing in the recently-held series. “If I was the India chief selector, I would have persuaded Virat to bid goodbye to Test cricket after playing the England series. We needed his class and experience in this series,” the 116-Test veteran, who was India’s chief selector from 2006-08, said.‘Gambhir wasn’t out of line with curator’Vengsarkar opined that India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir wasn’t out of line with the Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis during their clash ahead of the fifth Test. Disagreeing with former Australia opener Matthew Hayden’s recent remark on the controversy that Gambhir could have “used better language and toned it down.” Vengsarkar, defending Gambhir, said, “As the head coach of the Indian team, Gambhir had every right to see the pitch from close quarters. When teams tour India, their entire team-and not just the coach and captain, examine the pitch minutely. Even their media inspects the pitch before the match. No one tells them anything. So, how are the rules different when we are playing in England? “Would Hayden, or any of the Aussie cricketers, take it well if a curator had asked them to stay away from the square ahead of an important match. If this had happened to the Aussies, they would have used the choices of words to show the curator his place.”‘England series showed good pitches can produce thrilling Test cricket’Meanwhile, Vengsarkar was all praise for the England & Wales Cricket Board for staging a thrilling series, which seems to have infused excitement back in Test cricket for a while “I must appreciate the culture of Test cricket in England. There were huge crowds for all the Tests, and the sporting wickets ensured that the result of all the five Tests was decided on the fifth and final day. This series, which will be remembered for ages, has revived the interest for Test cricket in cricket lovers. It has increased Test cricket’s importance. This shows that if you dish out good pitches, Test cricket can not just survive, but flourish too,” the 69-year-old praised.He advised the BCCI to take a cue from the ECB and prepare sporting tracks for the home Tests in the 2025-26 season. “I hope that India do the same in their upcoming international season (two Tests each against West Indies and South Africa) and provide good, sporting wickets for Tests. The BCCI must not pander to the wishes of short-sightedness of captains and coaches, who are just looking for short-term gains by winning matches and qualifying for the World Test Championship final,” Vengsarkar asserted.
