Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Manoj Tiwary criticized Jasprit Bumrah for selectively choosing the matches he plays for India ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup. The 31-year-old featured in only three of the five Tests during the recent England series due to workload management.
Bumrah has faced recurring injuries throughout his career, most recently a back injury sustained in Australia earlier this year, which sidelined him for three months. Ahead of the England series, he had already announced he would miss two of the five Tests.
His decision drew widespread criticism from former players, with Tiwary being the latest to voice his disapproval.
“If a player is not fit for a five-Test series, when you know beforehand, then obviously, you will not pick that individual. Why will you not pick that individual? Because no one is bigger than the game of cricket. And it should be told to everyone, irrespective of whether he’s Jasprit Bumrah, whether it is Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, or anyone in this world. No one is bigger than the game of cricket.”
Tiwary further added:
“If the team management knows or the selector knows that he’s not going to survive for five Tests on a trot, he should not be picked.”
“Should Not Have Been Selected”: Tiwary Slams Bumrah
Manoj Tiwary feels Jasprit Bumrah should not have been selected for the England series if he was going to feature in only three of the five Tests. Interestingly, India lost two of the three matches in which Bumrah played, while they won both games he missed.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj delivered a stellar performance for the visitors, participating in all five Tests and claiming 23 wickets, the highest in the series.
“We would have understood if the backup was not there, the bench strength was not there, then obviously you want to take Jasprit Bumrah because you know there is no other bowlers who are ready to take over international cricket. But when you know you have a bench strength, when you have a pool of fast bowlers who are really doing well, then obviously he should not have been picked in the first place,” said Tiwary (via the aforementioned source).
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