‘No way he can play…’ BCCI source hints at Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 2025 Asia Cup

Ace Indian quick Jasprit Bumrah could miss the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup, a BCCI source hinted in the latest update. The Indian Team released Bumrah from the squad as announced on day two of the ongoing fifth Test against England at the Oval. He, however, missed out on playing the final match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to a niggle, and not workload management, for which he was supposed to play only three games on this tour, having completed that with the conclusion of the fourth Test in Manchester. With Team India’s next assignment being the biennial tournament in the UAE, they could rest Bumrah.

India will host the eight-team tournament starting September 9 in the UAE. India’s spearhead quick was always supposed to be part of the squad, and although Bumrah still could be, managing his workload without compromising on results has put the decision-makers in a tight spot lately.

The latest reports suggested that those in the BCCI and the selection committee would tweak the pick-and-choose policy surrounding Bumrah, inclining towards picking him for the long away tours only if he is available for selection for all matches.

Meanwhile, the 2025 Asia Cup ends on September 28, and India’s first Test of the upcoming home season begins four days later on October 2nd. Although both are equal to India’s success rate at the top, having previously missed out on playing the last WTC Final could force the selectors to prioritise the Test series (against West Indies) by picking their first team, including Bumrah.

However, should Bumrah play the 2025 Asia Cup and Team India qualifies for the final, unlike the remaining squad members, most of whom will not be part of the Test squad, he will have just a couple of days to return to red-ball cricket mode; and considering both Bumrah and the team management have struggled lately to find the middle ground on his game time, the board is unlikely to risk his workload management.

“It will be a tricky call, but Bumrah loves Test cricket and there are World Test Championship points at stake. As far as T20 is concerned, he can play the series against New Zealand in January, which will be a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup," a BCCI source was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“If Bumrah plays Asia Cup and suppose India plays the final, no way can he play against the West Indies at Ahmedabad. Obviously, the question arises, do you need Bumrah against the West Indies, or he plays Asia Cup after a month’s break and plays the two Tests against South Africa? That call, Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir will have to take," the source added.