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'Will Pat Cummins skip Ashes?': Irfan Pathan's indirect jibe at Jasprit Bumrah on workload debate with warning to BCCI
Jasprit Bumrah was criticised for playing only three of the five Tests in England, with Irfan Pathan citing Australia captain Pat Cummins as an example.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Tuesday once again ignited the debate around workload management with a fresh jibe at Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah had come under fire for playing just three of the five Test matches to manage his workload on the tour of England, where India drew 2-2 under new captain Shubman Gill.
On Monday, it was reported that Pat Cummins will not be in action ahead of the Ashes Test series at home against England, which starts on November 21 in Perth, and hence will skip the three white-ball series against New Zealand and India, after a scan revealed lumbar bone stress in his lower back. In fact, the Aussie Test skipper has not been in action since the tour of West Indies, where his bowling workload was significantly low, and he even missed the T20Is on the tour, and the series against South Africa that followed.
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Speaking to reporters in a discussion organised by Sony Sports Network, the official broadcasters of the 2025 Asia Cup, Pathan cited Cummins' example, showing how well the senior fast bowler has managed to pick and choose his assignments in order to stay fit and deliver during crucial series or tournaments.
"I just have one thing to say, you would have heard recently that Pat Cummins will skip many games to manage his workload for the Ashes. But will Cummins manage his workload during the Ashes? My question is that only. By all means, manage workload, yes. SENA countries are tough places to go and win. There your main bowlers must play as many games as they can. During the series, a top series, you will not get the result if you look to manage workload there," he said.
"About the workload, there has been a lot of talk about it. I feel that there are some important players, Jasprit Bumrah or any other fast bowler, you manage everybody's workload. You should as well and the set-up has been outstanding from BCCI and NCA. The workload is managed really well," he added.
Varun Chakravarthy - India's X-factor!
From the star-studded side that India picked for the upcoming Asia Cup, which includes the return of Shubman Gill to the format after more than a year, Pathan said that Varun, who had a forgettable outing in T20I format during the 2021 World Cup in the UAE, will be India’s X-factor.
“You always think all-rounders bring the x-factor but I'll be excited to actually see how Varun Chakravarthy goes because you must know that there will be a redemption story,” he said.
“Varun was picked for the World Cup in Dubai which happened in 2021. I don't think so he did that well at that particular time. My eyes will be on Varun Chakravarthy because he has a lot of confidence and he can definitely come with the x-factor,” he said.
The mystery spinner, however, did get his redemption in the UAE, when he picked up nine wickets for India in their victorious Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year. He was the joint-second highest wicket-taker in the tournament alongside Mohammed Shami.
