Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has urged Jasprit Bumrah to commit his future to the Indian team further after his omission from the T20I squad for the series against England and Ireland, and subsequent inclusion in the squad for the 2026 Asian Games.
The ace speedster has been omitted due to concerns over his workload after he played 13 of the available 14 games in the IPL. Bumrah had an underwhelming IPL season in 2026, picking up just four wickets in his 13 matches. Manjrekar questioned
the puzzling nature of Bumrah's availability issues, given his inclusion in the squad for the Asian Games, set to commence in late September.
“Asian Games, those performances and those results don't stay with you for too long. Cricket is still a sport of bilaterals and our own World Cups. The Olympics, when it comes as well, I don't think it will have the same sanctity that you have. It would be nice to win the Asian Games, but Bumrah is somebody; I'm just confused about how his career is going in terms of his availability. I did an Insta post yesterday. I thought Bumrah was the frontrunner to become India's T20 captain because I thought he could handle the T20 workload,” Manjrekar said on the Sony Sports Network.
He further questioned Bumrah's picking and choosing of the games he plays for India, and added that he wished the fast-bowler committed more to the team with the matches he plays.
“But it seems like he's not very keen to play every game that India plays. So here is a guy who actually rests for India games and keeps himself fit for certain India games. So it's a very different approach, something that I don't understand. I just wish that he would commit himself more to India. I can understand the workload he feels for Test cricket; 50 overs of cricket is extremely demanding. But considering that he played the entire IPL, I thought he would be able to take the workload of a few T20 matches in Ireland and England,” he added.
'He was my go-to captain' - Manjrekar on Bumrah
Manjrekar further singled out Bumrah as his major captaincy candidate, after Shreyas Iyer was named the new skipper of India's T20 side in a major development. He further stated that the speedster's refusal of captaincy due to his workload concerns has led to players like Shreyas and Shubman Gill, who is the captain of the Test and ODI sides, being thrust into leadership roles prematurely.
“I wish he were available. And he was my go-to captain. He was certainly deserving of ability and leadership qualities as well. Bumrah has not been too keen to take captaincy. It's gone prematurely to other Indian players like Shubman Gill in England and now Shreyas Iyer as well,” he added.
