"If his body is fine, make him play all five Tests" - Ex-cricketer's huge call on Jasprit Bumrah amid ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has given his opinion on Jasprit Bumrah's workload management in the ongoing Test series in England. Harbhajan stated that the right-arm speedster must play all five Tests if he was fully fit as no opposition would like facing him.

Although the 31-year-old is one of the most effective bowlers, his fitness issues have forced the management into playing him in selected matches. The Indian pacer has played two Tests in the series so far and could play the decisive fourth game in Manchester, beginning on July 23.

Speaking on the sidelines of WCL 2025, Harbhajan named Bumrah as the most honest and dedicated cricketer, claiming that he will put his body on the line to make India win the game. He elaborated, as quoted by RevSportz:

"Look, Jasprit is the most honest cricketer out there. If he’s not in pain, he won’t just bowl a four-over spell – he’ll give you a 10-over spell. He did that in Australia too. He bowled so much there that he got injured. His action contributes to that. His run-up is short, and to bowl at high speed, the finish of his action puts a lot of stress on the body. If his body is fine, make him play all five Tests. If he plays five Tests, India will win the series. Ask any opposition – they’ll all say they don’t like facing Bumrah."

Despite playing only two Tests in the series, the Ahmedabad-born cricketer is the second-highest wicket-taker. He took a fifer each at Headingley and Lord's, and has claimed 12 wickets in four matches at 21 apiece.

"Players played five-match series back then too" - Harbhajan Singh on Jasprit Bumrah's workload management

Harbhajan Singh. (Image Credits: Getty)

Harbhajan claimed that workload management was a new term used mostly only in the current era but admitted that the management must be careful if players were injury prone. He added:

"See, workload management is a new thing. Once the IPL came, people started saying, ‘I’ll bowl 24 balls in a match and they’ll be absolutely spot on,’ and that’s how players trained. If you go back in time, what was workload? Workload was fitness. Players played five-match series back then too. But yes, if someone is concerned about injury, then you do need to be careful."

With India 2-1 down in the five-match series, the fourth Test against England in Manchester becomes a must-win one for them.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava