'Don't play at all': India legend blasts Jasprit Bumrah, slams Gautam Gambhir-Ajit Agarkar's decision as 'unacceptable'

With Team India reeling from a heartbreaking 22-run loss at Lord's and now trailing England 2-1, a storm is brewing over the controversial workload management of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The pre-planned decision to rest the world's number one bowler for parts of the series has come under heavy fire, with a legendary Indian batter leading the charge.

The controversy traces back to a pre-series arrangement where chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Bumrah agreed he would only feature in three of the five Tests. This policy first caused an uproar when Bumrah was rested for the second Test. Fans and experts were baffled by the decision, especially since India had lost the first match and there was a full week's break. The move was made solely to ensure Bumrah could play in the third Test at the iconic Lord's, which had a much shorter three-day turnaround.

This pick-and-choose policy has not sat well with World Cup winner and former chief selector, Dilip Vengsarkar. The batting legend minced no words, arguing that such an arrangement is unacceptable and that a player's only criteria for selection on tour should be fitness.

"What is important is playing for India and if you are unfit, then don’t play at all. He had a gap of almost 7-8 days after the first Test match, but still was not included for the second Test which was not acceptable. Maybe it was acceptable for Agarkar and Gambhir," said Vengsarkar in an interaction with RevSports.

Vengsarkar further elaborated on his old-school philosophy, stating that national duty should always come first.

"I’m not in favour of bowlers picking and choosing Test matches. If you’re fit and available, you should play all the matches for your country. Bumrah is a world-class bowler, and he can win matches for India. But once you’re on tour, you need to play every match. There’s no question of selecting matches based on personal preference," Vengsarkar added.

While Bumrah has been in devastating form, taking 12 wickets with two five-wicket hauls in the two matches he's played, the debate rages on. With the series on the line in Manchester, the question is whether India can afford to have its best player available only part-time.

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