India’s fast bowling leader, Jasprit Bumrah, faced some criticism for playing only three Tests in England because of workload management. But former head of the BCCI senior selection committee, Chetan Sharma, supported him. Sharma said players should follow the advice of physios because they understand these things better.

Bumrah, who has had frequent injuries, played in the first, third, and fourth Tests of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He missed two matches, and during that time, Mohammed Siraj led India’s fast bowling attack.

Follow the Doctor’s Advice

Chetan Sharma, a former fast bowler, said players should listen to their physios, just like a patient listens to a doctor. On Monday, during the agreement between Prasar Bharati and London-based cricket analyst company CricViz for 104 episodes of The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Sharma said,

“If the doctor says I have to take medicine, I will take it. If the physio tells a player to manage his workload, we should listen because he knows better.”

Sharma, who played with Kapil Dev and took more than 125 wickets in Tests and ODIs, said India’s performance in the England Test series makes him confident about the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE.

Confidence for Asia Cup 2025

He said, “I know whoever is selected will be the best for India. I am very proud of India’s performance in England. I am sure we can win the Asia Cup, which is a T20 tournament. After that, we will play the T20 World Cup in India in 2026.” He added, “Playing a World Cup at home is very important. If the intention is right, the results will be good.”

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The event was attended by 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal, former players Murali Karthik and Akash Chopra, and Prasar Bharati Chairman Navneet Kumar Sehgal.

When asked about including Test captain Shubman Gill, who scored four centuries in the recent Test series against England, in the Suryakumar Yadav-led Asia Cup team, Sharma said India should pick the best 15 players.