Sanjay Manjrekar and other Jasprit Bumrah critics brutally attacked by Ex-India star

Published - 26 Aug 2025, 08:35 PM | Updated - 26 Aug 2025, 08:38 PM

Mohammed Siraj Jasprit Bumrah Anshul Kamboj
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Former India National Cricket Team player Balwinder Singh Sandhu has launched a scathing attack on the critics of the pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Balwinder Singh Sandhu slammed the people who are criticising Jasprit Bumrah for picking and choosing matches and told them the brutal truth of fast bowling.

Jasprit Bumrah faced heavy criticism for his limited availability on the England tour

The World No.1 speedster Bumrah has faced heavy backlash because of his limited availability in India's first series of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle against the England National Cricket Team.

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Heading into the five-match Test series, Jasprit Bumrah told the BCCI selection committee that he would only be available for three matches to manage his workload.

BCCI agreed, and during the squad announcement, the chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed this development. The pacer played the first, third, and fourth games, where he bowled 119.4 overs and picked 14 wickets.

However, several cricket experts, including Sanjay Manjrekar, slammed him for not being available for all the matches and demanded his snub from the Test team if he was not fully fit.

The pacer has been selected in the 15-member squad of India and will be next seen in action in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.

Someone like Bumrah generates pace, not from a long run-up, but from sheer strength - Balwinder Singh Sandhu

In his column for Mid-Day, Balwinder Singh Sandhu talked about Jasprit Bumrah's workload management and highlighted how the pacer puts a lot of effort into his bowling, which leads to injuries.

"In these seven years, how many batsmen have gone without injury breaks? How many have opted out of a series quietly? Nobody really questions them. But when it comes to a fast bowler, everyone seems ready to pounce. The truth is — fast bowling is brutal."

"Someone like Bumrah generates pace, not from a long run-up, but from sheer strength. And when you rely on strength, your muscles are bound to suffer wear and tear. Compare Bumrah to legends like Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee, or Malcolm Marshall. They all had smoother biomechanics and long careers, but even they weren’t spared from injuries."

Jasprit Bumrah has had an average rest of just 3.2 days - Balwinder Singh Sandhu

Sandhu also used statistical data from the last seven years to defend Jasprit Bumrah and said that the life of the pacers is quite punishing.

"Jasprit Bumrah has had an average rest of just 3.2 days for every playing day across the last seven years, while Mohammed Siraj has had 3.5 days, and Mohammed Shami, 3.7. And remember — both Bumrah and Shami have also missed matches because of injuries. That only makes these statistics even more telling," said Sandhu.

"If we added first-class or other domestic games, the workload would be much heavier. I didn’t have that data which means, we’re only looking at half the picture. Thus, it’s easy to criticise these pacers who have carried the load for India over the years, but when you see the actual numbers, one realises how punishing the life of a fast bowler is."

Also Read: Watch: 13 runs off 1 ball! Sanju Samson goes ballistic in KCL, aims to deny Shubman Gill spot in Asia Cup XI

Sonanchal Gautam

Sonanchal Gautam is a dedicated sports journalist, content manager, writer, and editor with over 4 y... Read more

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