Sandeep Patil latest to criticise BCCI's workload management for Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah played only three Tests in the five-match India vs England 2025 series
BCCI likely to adopt a more objective approach to workload management
Injury-prone fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah played only three Test matches in the just concluded India's tour of England for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, and the visitors won both matches in which he was rested. Mohammed Siraj stepped up and helped India share the honours in the five-match series, 2-2.
After Sunil Gavaskar, former chief selector Sandeep Patil has criticised the workload management by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), raising concerns about the decision-making process. Revealed well in advance by the team management, resting Bumrah was part of a planned workload management strategy approved by the BCCI medical staff.
"I wonder how the BCCI is agreeing to all this. Is the physio more important than the captain, than the head coach? What about selectors? Are we to expect that the physio will be sitting in selection committee meetings now? Will he decide?" Patil told Mid-day.
Bumrah bowled 119.4 overs and took 14 wickets across the matches he played -- making him the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the series. The 31-year-old's absence from India vs England showdown at the Oval, despite the series being on the line, drew considerable public and expert criticism.
"When you are picked for your country, you die for your country. You are a warrior. I have seen Sunil Gavaskar bat on all five days of a match, I’ve seen Kapil Dev bowl on most days of a Test match, and even bowl to us in the nets," the former wicketkeeper added, recalling the resilience of earlier generations. "They never asked for breaks, never complained, and their careers extended to 16-plus years. I didn’t miss the next Test after my head injury in Australia in 1981."
Earlier, batting great Sunil Gavaskar had expressed his frustration over such 'workload management'. The former India captain, however, made it clear that his criticism was not directed at Bumrah.
"When you are playing for your country, forget the aches and the pains. On the border, do you think that the jawans are complaining about cold? What did Rishabh Pant show you? He came out to bat with a fracture. That is what you expect from the players. Playing cricket for India is an honour," Gavaskar told India Today.
"You are representing 140 crore people and that is what we saw in Mohammed Siraj. I think Siraj bowled his heart out, and he debunked forever this business of workload."
Workload Management Amid Changing Cricket Landscape
Sandeep Patil and Sunil Gavaskar's comments have ignited a wider debate about expectations and advancements in player welfare. Patil cited the older generation's willingness to play through pain without rotation or advanced rehab as a contrast to current approaches.
Post India vs India series, reports indicate a growing consensus among BCCI decision-makers, selectors, and head coach Gautam Gambhir to adopt a more objective approach to workload management. A BCCI official noted that future policies would balance medical advice with national team interests, and the practice of players choosing games under the guise of workload management is set to be curtailed.
Simultaneously, modern cricket's packed calendar, higher-speed play, and scientific injury prevention frameworks have forced officials and selectors to rethink tradition.
Similar debates played out in England during the same series, with England captain Ben Stokes’s willingness to bowl through injury being used as a counterexample, raising questions about the balance between player longevity and short-term national interests as of August 2025.
It's worth noting that the BCCI, in March 2023, instructed Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises to monitor and limit the bowling workloads of contracted players, emphasising the importance of balancing match participation with adequate rest periods.
This directive aimed to ensure that key players remain fit for major international tournaments and tours.
