England and India drew the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2. Mohammed Siraj is being hailed for his incredible endurance and commitment. The 31-year-old fast bowler played all five Tests and gave his all. He got his reward in the final Test at the Oval where he took 5 wickets in the 2nd innings. That was the difference between India’s 6 run win.
But the debate is all about Jasprit Bumrah who played only 3 Tests due to workload concerns. The decision to play him in only 3 games has raised many questions. India won two of the three Tests he didn’t play, which was part of the plan to manage his playing time.
Dilip Vengsarkar, former India captain, feels Bumrah should have sat out the 2025 IPL for Mumbai Indians to prioritize the Test series against England. Speaking to The Times of India, Vengsarkar said, Given how big the India-England Test series was and considering Bumrah’s back issues, the BCCI, selectors and team management should have advised him to sit out IPL 2025.
Vengsarkar added, “It was essential to have Bumrah fully fit and rested for this series. People may not remember the runs scored or wickets taken in the IPL but they will remember Mohammed Siraj’s brave performance in this series, along with great batting from Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar’s all-round contribution.
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He continued, “A series like this happens once in 4 years. As far as I know India won’t play another 5-Test series till January 2027 (against Australia). This was a series to remember and I wish Bumrah could have played almost all the Tests.Despite the debate about his workload, Jasprit Bumrah did well in IPL 2025. He played 12 games for Mumbai Indians, bowled 47.2 overs and took 18 wickets. His IPL contribution was important considering he was coming back from a back injury that kept him out of 2025 Champions Trophy in UAE. But his Test series performance was under the scanner as he took 14 wickets in 3 Tests at 26.00.
Vengsarkar also spoke about how the absence of key players like former captain Virat Kohli impacted the Test series. He said if he was the chief selector he would have told Kohli to play the England series before retiring from Test cricket. Vengsarkar feels Kohli’s experience and skill was very valuable for the team in such a series. He said, “We needed his skill and experience in England” highlighting how important experienced players are in big matches.
