Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Deep Dasgupta believes India should not have revealed that Jasprit Bumrah would play only three Test matches against England before the start of the series. In order to manage Bumrah’s workload, it was pre-decided that the gun fast bowler would play only three Test matches and thus he was also not considered for the leadership role.

Bumrah played the first, third, and fourth Test match against England. The ace pacer scalped 14 wickets in three Test matches at an average of 26.

Deep Dasgupta told IANS, “Well, I think India shouldn’t have announced the fact that he would be playing only three Test matches prior to departing for the series. I mean, you can always take a call on his availability as and when based on his physical situation and series scenario. But this thing of saying that he will be playing only three Test matches before the series has started, I think India could have avoided it”.

The former Bengal cricketer said it is pivotal for India to keep Bumrah ready for the crucial matches of the tournament.

“It depends on obviously him and the medical staff. But how I see it is, he’s the best bowler in the world across three formats. So, you want him for all the crucial games. But then once he’s available for the crucial ones, then I guess it can’t be at the start of a tournament, that I’m going to play only 40% or 60% of the games – that can’t happen.

“I mean, keep him ready for the crucial ones, and make sure he’s available for all games. Then obviously, if there are injuries, if the body has taken a toll and he’s not ready, that’s a different issue altogether. But this availability for 50%, 60%, and all, I think that needs to be looked into because he is by far the best bowler in the world right now,” he said.

There is no doubt that it is important for the team’s think tank to manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload with guile.