NEW DELHI — India should keep Jasprit Bumrah fresh for next year’s one-day international World Cup by selecting him mainly for Test cricket and using the pace spearhead sparingly in other formats, former coach Ravi Shastri has said. Bumrah was recalled to India’s Test squad for their two-match series in New Zealand last week, but will not play in the five ODIs and five Twenty20 internationals that precede the Tests.
Bumrah’s career has been disrupted by back injuries, with the 32-year-old having to undergo surgery in 2023. He was ruled out of a two-Test series against Sri Lanka in August due to a left knee injury, but returned to T20 action at the Asian Games and helped India win gold.
“I don’t think he should play all three formats till the ODI World Cup,” Shastri, who coached India from 2017 to 2021, told Indian media on Sunday. “He should play Test cricket and should play sporadically between one-day internationals and T20 cricket. He also shouldn’t be playing the whole lot. I would rather preserve him for the Test matches. That’s very important. He becomes a key member of that Indian side. Then he should be used sparingly in the other formats.”
Jasprit Bumrah’s Workload Under the Microscope
The fast bowler’s injury history is the reason for the caution. Back surgery in 2023 cost him a significant stretch of his career, and the left knee injury that ruled him out of the Sri Lanka series in August was another reminder of how fragile a pace bowler’s body can be. India’s six-week tour of New Zealand, beginning October 22, is scheduled to feature five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests — a packed itinerary in which the selectors have already chosen to shield Bumrah from the white-ball leg.
Shastri stressed that Bumrah’s availability would be particularly important during the two-Test series in New Zealand and said he would prefer to preserve the pacer for those matches. The former coach has long been an advocate of workload management for fast bowlers, arguing that India’s greatest pace asset must be protected for the assignments that matter most.
Jasprit Bumrah and the Road to the 2027 World Cup
Following their tour of New Zealand, India will host Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in limited-overs series, before hosting Australia in a five-Test series which concludes in February. The 2027 World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 2 to November 21 — giving India roughly a year to manage Bumrah’s workload through a crowded calendar.
Shastri also backed the return of experienced fast bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami to India’s squads. Welcoming Bhuvneshwar’s inclusion in the T20I squad, he said the bowler’s experience and performances in the Indian Premier League made him a valuable option for New Zealand conditions. “There is no substitute for experience,” Shastri said, adding that Bhuvneshwar’s quality and experience made his selection an obvious choice. He also argued that Shami had done enough with both the red and white balls to warrant a recall to the Test and ODI sides.
The tour will also provide India with an opportunity to assess its preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Whether the selectors follow Shastri’s prescription — Tests first, white-ball cricket only sparingly — could determine whether Bumrah arrives at the tournament in South Africa at his devastating best.
Jasprit Bumrah: Why Tests Come First
Shastri’s logic is straightforward: Test cricket is where Bumrah’s unique skills matter most, and it is the format that demands the most from a fast bowler’s body. By prioritising the red-ball game and dipping into ODIs and T20Is only selectively, India can keep its spearhead fresh for the moments that decide series and tournaments. The approach mirrors the workload management that has become standard for elite quicks worldwide, where boards increasingly rest their premium pacers from bilateral white-ball series.
Speaking to The Times of India, Shastri was explicit: “I don’t think he should play all three formats until the World Cup. He should focus primarily on Test cricket and feature sporadically in ODIs and T20Is.” The New Zealand tour, beginning October 22, will be the first test of that philosophy in action — with Bumrah held back from the limited-overs leg and preserved for the two Tests that follow.