'Didn't play 5th Test vs England': Ajit Agarkar drops bombshell reminder to Jasprit Bumrah

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, has opened up on the workload management issue of the pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Ajit Agarkar said that Jasprit Bumrah has been provided with an adequate amount of rest, and he is keen to play both Test matches of the upcoming series against the West Indies National Cricket Team.

Jasprit Bumrah to spearhead India's bowling unit

Earlier, it was anticipated that Jasprit Bumrah would mainly focus on overseas Test matches for India to manage his workload and skip the upcoming home series against West Indies.

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However, that would not be the case as he has been selected in the squad for the home Test series. Bumrah will be accompanied by Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Nitish Kumar Reddy as the other seam-bowling options.

In the spin department, selectors have picked Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, as well as comeback man Axar Patel.

Meanwhile, the likes of Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, and Shardul Thakur, who were part of the India tour of England 2025, have missed out on selection.

He's ready and keen to play both Test matches - Ajit Agarkar on Jasprit Bumrah

Speaking about Jasprit Bumrah, Ajit Agarkar highlighted how the pacer skipped the all-important series finale of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but said that he has made himself available for both the Test matches against West Indies despite a short turnaround period.

"This is a team for both the Test matches. So, he's available for both. We've had a fair break after England. He didn't play the fifth Test either. There's been a month or five weeks of break," he said in response to a PTI query.

"This tournament (the ongoing Asia Cup here where Bumrah is playing) has been fairly spaced out till this last week. He's ready and keen to play both Test matches," Agarkar explained.

I wish we could give everyone 15 or 20 Tests - Ajit Agarkar

The BCCI selection committee chairman further said that Devdutt Padikkal replaced Karun Nair in the Test squad because the latter was unable to impress in the limited chances he got.

He added that Devdutt Padikkal has the ability to offer little more than Nair, and he has been around the Test setup for quite some time, with his performances being consistent.

"We feel Padikkal offers a little bit more at this point and I wish we could give everyone 15 or 20 Tests. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way," Agarkar said.

"Padikkal's been in the Test squad. Frankly, we expected a bit more from Karun in England. Devdutt was in the Test squad in Australia, played in Dharamsala against England, and got a 50 there. He's shown some decent form within the race," the former pacer stated.

Notably, Karun Nair had a disappointing outing on his comeback to Test cricket on the England tour as he scored just 205 despite the pitches on offer being batting-friendly in most of the matches.

Also Read: Ajit Agarkar reveals why Abhimanyu Easwaran, Mohammed Shami have been snubbed for West Indies Tests