Jasprit Bumrah Informs Ajit Agarkar About Fitness Ahead of Asia Cup 2025 Selection
Jasprit Bumrah confirms fitness for Asia Cup as India’s selectors meet on August 19 to finalise the 15-member squad.
India’s selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, will meet on August 19 to finalise the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025 beginning September 9. Jasprit Bumrah has told the panel he is ready and available to play in the tournament.
India open their campaign against UAE on September 10 before a high-profile clash against Pakistan on September 14 in Dubai. Group A includes India, UAE, Pakistan and Oman. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong form Group B.
Bumrah’s fitness has been under the scanner in recent months. During the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, he played only three of the five Tests as part of workload management. Even so, he claimed two five-wicket hauls and bowled nearly 120 overs before being rested for the final Test at the Oval.
The fast bowler has also had a troubled run with injuries. A back spasm in the final Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia kept him out of the Champions Trophy 2025, which India went on to win. Earlier this year, he also missed the opening matches of the IPL for Mumbai Indians.
Some experts believe India must look beyond him if he cannot stay on the field for longer stretches. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar wrote,
“If he cannot play more than two matches in a row or sometimes even more than one, he must not be your frontline pick. Players who are match fit, eager, keen to play and perform should be picked any day for me over a highly skilled player.”
He added, “This is not an idealistic position to take, but it’s the right one for the long-term health of a team sport.”
For now, the selectors will weigh all options, but Bumrah’s availability gives India’s pace attack a big boost ahead of a challenging Asia Cup campaign.
