Former India cricketer and ex-chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil has lashed out at the current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) management
and its workload policies after Jasprit Bumrah played just three out of the five Tests against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir had mentioned in a press conference before the start of the England tour that Bumrah will play only three Tests, as the management is monitoring his workload diligently, especially after he sustained a stress fracture to his back at the back end of the 2024-2025 Border-Gavaskar series. Bumrah played the first, third, and fourth Tests. He was rested for the fifth Test, which India had to win to square the series.
While some fans criticised Bumrah for picking and choosing international matches, several experts came out in support of the talismanic speedster. However, Patil believes that the BCCI shouldn't allow the physio to make selection calls.
“I wonder how the BCCI is agreeing to all this? Is the physio more important than the captain, than the head coach? What about selectors? Are we to expect that the physio will be sitting in selection committee meetings now? Will he decide?” Patil was quoted as asking by India Today.
Patil mentioned the names of former India captains like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and shared anecdotes showcasing their commitment to the national team.
“When you are picked for your country, you die for your country. You are a warrior. I have seen Sunil Gavaskar bat on all five days of a match, I have seen Kapil Dev bowl on most days of a Test match and even bowl to us in the nets. They never asked for breaks, never complained, and their careers extended to 16-plus years. I did not miss the next Test after my head injury in Australia in 1981,” he said.
Modern-day players have all the facilities: Patil
Patil stated that nowadays, players have access to facilities and rehab programmes. However, back in the day, players would continue playing despite injuries, especially when they were representing their nation.
“Modern-day players have all the facilities. We did not have such rehab programmes in our playing days. At times, we carried on playing despite injuries. Let us just say we were happy playing for the country no drama,” he remarked.
Patil said that he is in awe of how batting has evolved in the modern era. However, the 1983 World Cup winner remains firm in his disapproval of players skipping matches.
“I marvel at the strokes batsmen play now. In our time we used to be scolded by Sunil Gavaskar if we tried any fancy strokes, but times have changed and we accept that. What I cannot digest is how players are missing games,” he concluded.
