Dinesh Karthik slams Jasprit Bumrah's critics, says ‘when he doesn’t play, India does not win. It's not his mistake'

Despite India managing to win the fifth and final Test against England, Jasprit Bumrah has fallen victim to criticism after the pacer missed the fixture at the Oval. It was reported that Bumrah wasn’t included in the playing XI due to workload management. Meanwhile, some critics have also pointed out that India won the matches that Bumrah didn’t play in the tour. Dinesh Karthik rushed to Jasprit Bumrah's defence.

Bumrah only played three Tests in the England series, and reports also suggest that he sustained a knee injury, which ruled him out of the final Test. But there has been no official confirmation of the injury.

Dinesh Karthik defends Jasprit Bumrah

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik rushed to Bumrah’s defence and spoke about the veteran pacer’s importance to the Indian cricket team.

“You have to look at it from Jasprit Bumrah’s point of view. I think that these kinds of wins, the way the series has panned out, the way the young team has fought will actually help him in his career. I believe Jasprit Bumrah will be very proud of this young bowling attack and knowing him, he is not someone who shies away from pressure, big matches. Boss, he is in the ground, as a captain, any big moment, you go to Jasprit Bumrah, you want a wicket, go to Jasprit Bumrah, you want a 5-an over in a T20 match, you go to Jasprit Bumrah. If you are bowling with a bad, old ball which is 25 overs old in a ODI and want a wicket, go to Jasprit Bumrah. That is the name he has earned and he rightly deserves to be called that,” he said.

“Now this stat of when he doesn’t play, India does not win. It’s not his mistake. He is so impactful that otherd pale in comparison at times which is understandable. He is a world champion. When he finishes cricket, he will be spoken in the same parlance as a Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Dale Steyn. And I hope he will have a longer career knowing that I can pick and choose matches when I feel I am ready because there is no more pressure that I am the only one and at every match, I9 have to play. And at times, it’s unfair. It’s a body, he knows what he has gone through. 2 back injuries, one nasty ACL he had in 2014. It’s not easy and sometimes I feel we have to cut him some slack as well,” he added.

Ahead of the series, Bumrah had also spoken about workload management, which he was implementing to avoid injuries. After some sensational displays at the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah suffered a back injury and only returned midway through IPL 2025.

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