‘No one is so stupid right’: Irfan Pathan debunks his criticism of Jasprit Bumrah’s pick and choose matches

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan clarified his recent comments on Jasprit Bumrah, where he criticised the pacer for picking and choosing matches to manage his workload. He stressed that his intent was never to question Bumrah’s attitude, but added that once a player is named in the XI, pulling him back is not something he supports. When Bumrah missed a couple of matches on the England tour, he faced the scrutiny of the cricket critics who slammed him for not playing the crucial matches, including the Oval match, which was also the series-decider.

Bumrah opened the series on a high, grabbing a five-wicket haul in the first innings at Headingley. But his effectiveness dipped in the second, where he went wicketless as India failed to defend 371. At Lord’s, he once again impressed with a five-for in the first innings, only to fade in the second, managing just two scalps as India succumbed to another loss.

Pathan set the record straight on his comments about Bumrah, praising his decision to prioritise Test cricket despite injury setbacks. The veteran all-rounder insisted that once selected, a player should give his all, cautioning that restricted spells could affect long-term results.

“Lot of people think I question his attitude. Not at all. Why would I question someone who gives Test cricket priority, specially after the back injury where lot of other guys have not done that. I will never do that. No one is so stupid right. I am saying once you are there on the field, you just go all-out. I can guarantee you that if the management keeps happening like this (bowling five-six overs), we will not get the desired result for a longer period of time,” Pathan said on RezSportz.

“Jasprit Bumrah will manage his workload but even”

The veteran all-rounder asserted that the managing workload is one thing, but not using his full potential when he is in the XI makes things difficult for the team to win.

“We will manage his workload but even at an important time like the Lord’s Test, if we look to manage workload, how will the result come? You can push it at the time when it is needed. The recovery and management can happen after the game. If you are playing just three games and in that also you bowl just few overs in a spell, it gets difficult for the team,” he added.