Why Jasprit Bumrah did not play fifth Test against England? Mohammed Siraj breaks silence

With the Indian cricket team returning to action at the Men’s Asia Cup 2025 after a month long hiatus after drawing the five-match Test series against England early in August, Mohammed Siraj recently broke

silence on star pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s absence from the final Test, which was played at the Kennington Oval in London from July 31 to August 4.

Although, India’s comeback in the fifth Test will be remembered for long as they registered a six-run victory with a brilliant bowling, courtesy Mohammed Siraj on the final day. But as the series saw a draw with both teams winning two games each, Jasprit Bumrah was amidst controversy after he was rested from the key Test, which also saw several slamming for his workload management.

Jassi bhai took the perfect decision: Mohammed Siraj back’s Bumrah’s decision to rest

Weeks later, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has opened up on vetrean fast bowler’s absence from key fifth Test. He supported Bumrah’s decision to opt out, especially seeing him undergo a major surgery after injuring his back in BGT 2024-25. "Bumrah bhai had a serious back injury & a big surgery, had he bowled in that match, one can’t say whether he would have bowled again or not, if he had broken down,” Siraj said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Siraj further added, “It’s that serious. That injury is very sensitive. His bowling action is very difficult. He is such a important bowler for India and his availability is so important - from Asia Cup to next year’s World Cup and so on. Indian fans should understand that he is the backbone of the team and be rest assured that whenever possible, he will definitely play. Jassi bhai took the perfect decision.”

However, Bumrah returned in India’s Asia Cup 2025 title winning campaign, the duo is back together as India host West Indies in a two-match Test series from October 2 to October 14. While Siraj picked up seven wickets across two West Indies innings, Jasprit Bumrah finished with three wickets to his name.