Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has put his weight behind gun-fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah amid recent criticism regarding the workload management. Bumrah has come under the scrutiny after he played three out of the five Test matches against England.

Sehwag said it is imperative for the team think tank to manage bowlers’ workload, whereas the batters don’t need workload management. 

Bumrah picked 14 wickets against England at an average of 26 but he was criticized for picking and choosing Test matches. The ace pacer had suffered a back injury in the fifth Test match at Sydney against Australia and was thereafter ruled out of the Champions Trophy. Since then, the BCCI wants to manage his workload with guile.

“I think workload is important, especially for bowlers. For batsmen, I don’t think workload is a problem, since they can play and don’t have to play too many matches anyway. So, I think it’s important mainly for bowlers, especially fast bowlers,” Sehwag said on Sony Sports Network.

“If they are managed properly, they can play for a longer time. For India, it’s important that all fast bowlers stay fit, because in big events like the Asia Cup or World Cup, if they are available, India’s chances of winning will be higher,” he added.

Bumrah was doubtful for the Asia Cup, but he has been picked in the 15-man squad by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel. 

India Squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

India, eight-time Asia Cup champions, open their campaign against the UAE at the Dubai International Stadium on September 10.