Jasprit Bumrah to play in Bangladesh, New Zealand Tests as Gautam Gambhir advocates pacers' rotation

India National Cricket Team modern-day pace-bowling great Jasprit Bumrah is expected to feature in both home Test series against Bangladesh National Cricket Team and New Zealand National Cricket Team, according to a report.

The 30-year-old is currently enjoying his well-deserved break from cricket after helping India win the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 and end their title drought. He has been given an extended break by the Indian team management and he was not asked to feature in the Sri Lanka tour as well.

Notably, the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were requested by the new head coach Gautam Gambhir to travel to Sri Lanka for the ODI series, keeping in mind the limited number of 50-over matches India will be playing ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025.

Jasprit Bumrah is the most important asset of the Indian team. Hence, the BCCI wants to give him adequate rest to make sure that he is fully fit for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will be played Down Under.

Ahead of the five-match Test series against Australia, the Rohit Sharma-led side will be playing a two-match Test series against Bangladesh and a three-match Test series against New Zealand. The matches against Bangladesh will begin on September 19 and 27, while the games against the Kiwis will commence on October 16, 24, and November 1.

Jasprit Bumrah To Play Home Tests As India Aim To Rotate Fast Bowlers

According to a new report in the Indian Express, the team management is deliberating whether to include Jasprit Bumrah in the squad for the Bangladesh Test series as they have a jam-packed calendar.

Reportedly, Jasprit Bumrah could play one of the two Tests against Bangladesh, which will be the first time he will be playing under the new head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and his coaching staff. Also, he is likely to feature in two of the three Test matches against the Kiwis.

With Mohammed Shami expected to make a comeback in the New Zealand Test series, the Indian team management will have a good opportunity to rest Jasprit Bumrah. Notably, along with the aforementioned pacers, the Indian team management is monitoring Mohammed Siraj’s workload, and he too will be rotated during the home season. Siraj, who has been one of India's consistent performers, will not play all the home matches and is expected to be rested in a few of them.

A BCCI official, while discussing this matter, stated that they need to have a plan to rotate the fast bowlers and pair a senior with a junior as resting all the seniors together will hurt the team combination and make the team weak. The likes of Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, and Prasidh Krishna are set to be in consideration for the upcoming Tests.

“We cannot rest everyone at one go because you need experience even in home conditions. Like in the case of England series, where India paired a senior pacer with a youngster, a similar approach would be adopted. There is a good crop of fast bowlers at the Duleep Trophy, who have been picked keeping the Australia tour in mind. If they do well, we can use them in home conditions before taking them to Australia,” a BCCI official said, as quoted by the Indian Express.