'Mohammed Siraj did it recently, but he can't do that for...': Harbhajan Singh breaks silence on Jasprit Bumrah's criticism for featuring in three Tests against England

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh backed Jasprit Bumrah after the pace spearhead faced scrutiny for his workload management on the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 in England. It was decided before India travelled to England that Bumrah would feature only in three Tests of the five-Test match series. Sticking to that plan, the team kept him out of the final match at The Oval, even with the series hanging in the balance.

He picked up 14 wickets in his three Test outings, including a couple of five-wicket hauls, but didn't create much of an impact. It was Mohammed Siraj, who turned out to be the standout bowler in the series, as he also played all five Tests. Meanwhile, after the series ended, several former cricketers, including Irfan Pathan, Sandeep Patil, Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohammad Azharuddin, were critical of Bumrah for picking and choosing matches to manage workload.

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World Cup winner Harbhajan defended Bumrah amid questions over his absence in the final Test against England, stressing the pacer’s honesty and self-awareness. He explained that Bumrah understands his body limits, especially after injury, and described “workload” as carrying the bowling burden for the entire team.

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“I don't know how much pain he (Jasprit Bumrah) is suffering from. But what I do know is that he is a very honest man. He knows about his body. He knows how much load his body can take and how much it can't. He has just come back after an injury. A lot of them are asking what workload means. Workload means when a bowler like Bumrah bowls on his own, like he did in Australia. That is called workload because he is taking the load of others as well,” Harbhajan said on Times of India.

The veteran spinner highlighted the physical toll on fast bowlers, noting that while Mohammed Siraj has recently shouldered the extra workload, it’s unsustainable year-round.

“Siraj did it recently, but he can't do that for a whole year. There can come a series when you feel like you need to put in the extra effort and need to take a toll on the body. Bumrah did that in Australia, and in the end, he broke down. Siraj took it as well, and let's hope that he does not break down. I think a player's honesty is most important in this regard,” he added.

The five-Test match series of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 ended in a 2-2 draw after India's iconic win in the last Test match.