Wish Bumrah played all Tests, who remembers wickets taken in IPL?: Dilip Vengasarkar

India Today

13 hours ago

Former India batter Dilip Vengasarkar said that Jasprit Bumrah should've played all the Tests of the recently concluded series against England. Bumrah only played three matches of the rubber as the team management decided to manage his workload amid his recent injury concerns.The speedster scalped 14 wickets from three matches, including two five-wicket hauls, both of his which unfortunately came in a losing cause. Recently, Dilip Vengasarkar shared his thoughts on Bumrah's performance in England and said that he should've been rested and played all the Tests, which could've led to India's win in the series.advertisement'Who remembers the runs and wickets taken in the IPL? However, people will remember Mohammed Siraj's lion-hearted performance in this series, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant's sublime batting, and Washington Sundar's superb all-round performance. It was a series for the ages and I wish Bumrah was available for almost all the Tests. We could have won the series if that was the case,' Vengasarkar told Times of India.
Furthermore, Vengasarkar said that if he were the chief selector, he would've requested Mumbai Indians (MI) owner Mukesh Ambani for the IPL.'If I was the India chief selector, I would have convinced Mukesh Ambani (Mumbai Indians owner) and Bumrah that it was important for Bumrah to miss the IPL for the England series, or play a lesser number of matches in the IPL. I'm sure that they would have agreed to do so,' he added.Vengasarkar also slammed Bumrah's critics, saying that he can't be blamed for missing matches as his workload needs to be managed following his back surgery in 2023."You can't blame Bumrah for missing matches at times. We must remember that Bumrah has undergone back surgery. His back is vulnerable, and we must be cautious with him. You can't question his commitment for the country. He has given his all whenever he has played for India. I hope he returns for India after adequate rest and when fully fit," he added.Bumrah has been receiving widespread criticism for skipping matches in England as recently former India batter Sandip Patil also called him 'unfit'. Meanwhile, after England series, Bumrah will likely make a comeback in the ODI series against Australia in October after which India will play home Test series against West Indies and South Africa. The speedster is expected to be rested for the Asia Cup 2025, set to begin from September 9.- Ends