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Jasprit Bumrah To Feature In Asia Cup 2025 After Being 'Criticised' For Missing Two England Tests: Report
Follow UsHowever, he could be rested for the opening Test or even the entire series against West Indies in October
India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is likely to feature in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to begin on September 9 in the UAE, according to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Earlier, there had been speculation that Bumrah might be rested for the 20-over tournament to keep him fresh for the home Test series against West Indies and South Africa in October and November, respectively.
Bumrah was previously rested for two Tests against England to manage his workload, playing only the first, third, and fourth matches. India lost two of the three games he played in and drew the other, while they won both Tests in which he did not feature. Although purely coincidental, this led to heavy trolling of Bumrah on social media.
PTI reports that if Bumrah plays in the Asia Cup, he could be rested for the opening Test or even the entire series against West Indies, starting October 2. Given India’s preference for a spin-heavy attack in home conditions, his absence would not significantly affect the team.
There are also reports suggesting that Shubman Gill could return to India’s T20I set-up after a successful IPL 2025 and an impressive stint as captain in the England Test series. There have even been discussions about him potentially becoming India’s new T20I vice-captain.
However, fitting him into the playing XI could be challenging, as the current top order - Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, skipper Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma - has been in formidable form.
"Abhishek Sharma is world's No. 1 T20 batter in last ICC rankings. Sanju Samson has been fantastic last season with both bat and gloves. So it will certainly be a tough call but Shubman in current form (although in Tests) can't be ignored. He had a good IPL also. Problem for selectors is, there are too many performers at the top of the order," a BCCI source privy to developments told PTI.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is expected to announce the Asia Cup squad on August 19 or 20. Jitesh Sharma or Dhruv Jurel is likely to be picked as the back-up wicketkeeper, while one of Harshit Rana or Prasidh Krishna could join Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh in the three-man pace attack.