Jasprit Bumrah didn’t perform like no. 1 bowler in England, should’ve pushed harder, says Irfan Pathan

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Jasprit Bumrah didn’t perform like the best bowler in England and he should have pushed harder. Bumrah played only three Test matches out of the five games, and there have been mixed reactions from experts regarding his workload management.

The ace fast bowler scalped 14 wickets in three Test matches against England at an average of 26. The pacer bagged two five-wicket hauls in the first and third Test match but could only take two wickets in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester.

“To be fair, whenever he played, he did perform. He took a five-wicket haul and got his name on the Lord’s honours board. But when you are the number one bowler, there is an expectation of number one-level performance, and I felt he did not quite live up to that,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Pathan said Bumrah could have pushed a bit harder in his spell when the team needed him the most at the crucial stage of the match.

“There were moments, like when a sixth over was needed. I spoke about this during commentary as well. Joe Root had been dismissed by him 11 times, and in that Lord’s Test, Bumrah bowled five overs. Just one more over, the sixth, could have pushed harder. I felt he held back a little there. There was also some pick-and-choose, which I have always been against, and that was visible too,” he added.

Bumrah has suffered a back injury in the fifth Test match against Australia, which had ruled him out of the Champions Trophy. Since then, Bumrah’s workload has been given special importance by the selection and team’s think tank.

Bumrah will also miss the upcoming Duleep Trophy, and his selection is also doubtful for the Asia Cup.