‘I’m confused about his career’: Manjrekar fires back at Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management

Jasprit Bumrah (ANI Photo) Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed concern over Jasprit Bumrah’s international availability and said he would like to see the star fast bowler commit more consistently to Indian cricket after his latest workload-related break.Bumrah was recently named in India’s 15-member squad for the Asian Games in Japan, which will be led by Shreyas Iyer in September. However, the pace has been relaxed for the upcoming T20I tour of Ireland and England in June and July. The decision comes after Bumrah featured in 13 matches for Mumbai Indians during IPL 2026. Acknowledging the physical demands of modern cricket, Manjrekar admitted that he is struggling to understand Bumrah’s career path. The former batsman had earlier criticized the pacer for appearing in only three Tests during India’s five-match series against England.In an interview with Sony Sports Network, Manjrekar suggested that Bumrah could handle the workload of a short T20I assignment, especially after completing a full IPL season.“The Asian Games, those performances and those results don’t stay with you for long. Cricket is still a sport of bilaterals and our own World Cups. The Olympics, when it comes too, I don’t think it will have the same sanctity as you. It would be nice to win the Asian Games, but Bumrah is somebody; I’m just confused about how his career is going. I was confused about his career yesterday. T20 because I thought he could handle the T20 workload,” said Manjrekar.The former cricketer further questioned the pattern of Bumrah’s performances in India and claimed that the pacer seems to be selective about the matches he prefers.“But he doesn’t seem very interested in playing every game that India plays. So here’s a guy who actually rests for the India games and keeps himself fit for some of the India games. So it’s a very different approach, which I don’t understand. I just wish he’d be more dedicated to India. I understand the workload he feels for Test cricket; 50 overs of cricket he would play is extremely demanding. the workload of a few T20s in Ireland and England,” he added.Manjrekar also revealed that he saw Bumrah as the leading candidate to captain the Indian T20I side. The fast bowler’s limited availability, he said, has opened the door for other players to step into leadership roles sooner than expected.Bumrah turned down the Test captaincy in 2025 due to workload concerns, prompting the selectors to hand over the role to Shubman Gill. Now that Bumrah is unavailable for the Ireland and England T20Is, Shreyas Iyer has been tasked with leading India in the Asian Games.“I wish he was available. And he was my main captain. He certainly deserved the ability and leadership skills as well. Bumrah didn’t try too hard to take over the captaincy role. Other Indian players like Shubman Gill in England and now Shreyas Iyer also left early,” he added.Bumrah’s recent form has also come under scrutiny. During IPL 2026, the veteran pacer endured an unusually difficult campaign, claiming just four wickets while struggling to keep runs at bay.Having already been rested for the T20I series against Ireland and England and left out of the Afghanistan ODI squad, attention will now turn to whether Bumrah will return for India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against England.