‘I don’t know if it was mismanagement’ – AB de Villiers on Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management

India’s ace pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, is set to feature in just three of the five Tests on the ongoing England tour. However, former South African captain AB de Villiers has questioned the Indian management’s decision, especially after the team’s defeat in the opening Test. De Villiers believes that resting Bumrah in a series such as this is a questionable choice and potentially a case of mismanagement.

With England conditions heavily favoring seam bowling, Bumrah’s availability will be important for India. However, despite playing nearly the full IPL season for Mumbai Indians, the speedster is set to feature only for three Tests in this five-match series. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed the rotation plan, mentioning it was done to manage Bumrah’s workload. 

In the series opener at Headingley, England secured a five-wicket victory and witnessed India’s over-reliance on Bumrah. While he picked a fifer in the first innings, the rest of the bowling unit failed to put pressure. AB de Villiers compared Bumrah’s situation to how South Africa managed Dale Steyn’s workload during his playing days.

“He is probably the top bowler in the world in all formats right now. So, it’s very difficult to decide a way to rest him, but in my opinion, Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game. And this Test series probably would’ve been the one, in my opinion, to get him ready for all five Test matches.

That’s what we used to do with Dale (Steyn). Rest him in lesser important T20 and ODI series and get him ready for the big Test series against Australia, England, and India away from home… New Zealand, to a certain extent, depending on the rankings at that time,” De Villiers said in a video on his YouTube channel. 

It’s up to Team India to sort of manage him well: AB de Villiers

The former Proteas captain even mentioned the choice to be a potential mismanagement or unclear decision-making within the Indian setup. He also pointed out that the medical advice could have influenced the decision, stressing the importance of prioritising Tests over limited-overs formats

“So, I don’t know if it was mismanagement or perhaps because he recently got back from injury, sort of saw the IPL as the warmup phase. Maybe, went to the surgeon, who let him know, ‘You can’t play the five Test matches.’ So, I mean you got to respect that, and at the end of the day, it’s up to Team India to sort of manage him well,” he added.