"Pretty harsh on Bumrah to suggest he’s picking and choosing" - Legendary pacer defends workload management strategy ahead of NZ vs IND 2026 1st ODI

Legendary New Zealand pacer Shane Bond has called out those suggesting that India star player Jasprit Bumrah picks and chooses matches at will after the star pacer missed the white-ball leg against Blackcaps. Instead, he feels that workload management is a necessity in modern-day cricket, adding that bowlers are the best judges of their own bodies and fitness levels.

India begin the ODI leg of their New Zealand tour at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, and Jasprit Bumrah is not a part of the series, as he has been rested by the team management. He was left out of both white-ball squads for the tour, sitting out the five T20Is that India won 3-2 and the five ODIs that run from November 4 to 15.

However, Jasprit Bumrah is in the Test squad for the two matches that begin in Wellington on November 19, and is also in contention to play the third India A four-day game against New Zealand A from November 7 to 10, as preparation for the crucial Tests from the WTC 2025-27 perspective.

Shane Bond, who spent nine seasons as Mumbai Indians' bowling coach from 2015 to 2023, worked closely with Bumrah and witnessed his rise as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He strongly defended India and Jasprit Bumrah's current strategy to tackle fixture congestion.

“There’s often a perception that players are simply picking and choosing what they want to play. I don’t think that’s the case at all. Experienced bowlers understand their bodies very well. They’re constantly discussing their workloads with medical staff and coaches, assessing what they can physically handle," Shane Bond told the Times of India.

“The biggest risk period is always when a player is returning from injury and readjusting to competitive cricket. That’s why I think it’s pretty harsh on Bumrah to suggest he’s picking and choosing," he added.

Workload management has been in effect when it comes to Jasprit Bumrah for a while now. He missed two Tests during the tour of England last year and has been selectively rested from assignments in recent times. The star pacer missed the Test series in Sri Lanka, before returning for the T20I series against Afghanistan and the Asian Games 2026 campaign. He was then rested for the home series against West Indies and the white-ball leg of the New Zealand tour.

"It applies not just to Bumrah but to every player" - Shane Bond on India's need for workload management during the road to the ODI World Cup 2027

The team management have been cautious with Jasprit Bumrah, especially after he had a major back surgery in 2023, and in January 2025 he left the field for scans on the second day of the Sydney Test with a stress-related injury that ruled him out of the Champions Trophy. In his absence, the team has had to rotate through bowling options, with several names still settling into the side.

“It applies not just to Bumrah but to every player. India play an enormous amount of cricket, so managing workloads is essential. You want your best players fit, fresh and ready when the World Cup arrives next Oct or Nov. Every major cricket nation is trying to achieve the same balance, especially with the demands of both international and franchise cricket," Shane Bond said.

The Indian players' hectic schedule continues after the New Zealand tour as well, with a home white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, followed by the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2027 and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027.

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