'You will not get the result...': Irfan Pathan raises questions over Jasprit Bumrah's workload management

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan reignited the debate around workload management by giving the example of Australia skipper Pat Cummins in a recent statement. The topic of workload management has been widely debated ever since Jasprit Bumrah missed two Tests against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy despite being fit.

Bumrah had come under scrutiny and had even been accused of picking and choosing his matches by multiple experts. This was due to the fact that the seamer turned up to play many matches in IPL 2025, but ended up missing the series deciding fifth Test against England in order to properly manage his workload.

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Pathan isn't against the idea of workload management, but feels that it shouldn't be given much importance especially during a series against a top team. The former all-rounder also gave the example of Cummins, who was recently ruled out of the white-ball series against both New Zealand and India. Pathan pointed out that the Australia captain may be sitting out in many of the upcoming matches to manage his workload, but he won't be missing any game in The Ashes.

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"I just have one thing to say, you would have heard recently that Pat Cummins will skip many games to manage his workload for the Ashes. But will Cummins manage his workload during the Ashes? My question is that only. By all means, manage workload, yes. SENA countries are tough places to go and win. There, your main bowlers must play as many games as they can. During the series, a top series, you will not get the result if you look to manage workload there," Pathan said during a chat arranged by the Sony Sports Network.

"About the workload, there has been a lot of talk about it. I feel that there are some important players, Jasprit Bumrah or any other fast bowler, you manage everybody's workload. You should as well and the set-up has been outstanding from BCCI and NCA. The workload is managed really well," he added.

Bumrah to feature in Asia Cup

Meanwhile, Bumrah has been included in India's 15-member squad for Asia Cup 2025. He will be leading the side's pace attack alongside Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana during the tournament. This will be the 31-year-old's first T20I assignment since the 2024 T20 World Cup where he played a crucial role in the Men in Blue's title triumph.