“You have rested Jasprit Bumrah because of his workload” - Devang Gandhi slams another pacer’s exclusion from IND vs SA 2025 ODIs

Former India player and selector Devang Gandhi has slammed the team management for the way they have handled the pace bowling selection for the ODI series against South Africa. The Men in Blue have an inexperienced bowling unit at their disposal, with the trio of Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna operating.

The selectors decided to rest both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj after the 0-2 Test series loss against the Proteas, while Hardik Pandya, at the time, was still recovering from a quadriceps injury. Spearheaded by Arshdeep Singh, the pacers have struggled to contain the opposition batters on good batting surfaces, and have also found it difficult to bowl with heavy dew.

The seamers were able to make the new ball work to reduce South Africa to 11-3 in the first ODI in Ranchi, but they still managed to score 332 during the run chase. In the second ODI, the trio collectively conceded 209 runs off their 28.2 overs as the visitors chased down a 359-run target to level the series.

Devang Gandhi questioned the selectors' thinking behind the decision not to include Mohammed Siraj in the series against South Africa.

“Why is Mohammed Siraj not playing this ODI series, especially after his growth in stature since the England series? Okay, you have rested Jasprit Bumrah because of his workload. Now then, if that’s the reason with Siraj as well, then how is he playing in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy (for Hyderabad)? Does workload management imply you can play domestic cricket but not the international matches?” the former selector told Telegraph India.

“Suppose on the eve of a game, one of the three quicks gets injured or indisposed. Who do you play then? You don’t have enough (ODI cricket) experience in your pace group in the first place, and then you could be forced to include (seamer all-rounder) Nitish Kumar Reddy, who will neither bat in the top six nor give you too many overs with the ball. The presence of an experienced guy like Siraj could seriously have helped in such a situation," he added.

Mohammed Siraj featured in Hyderabad's three-wicket win over Jammu and Kashmir at the Eden Gardens, where he bagged figures of 1-15 off his four overs.

Jasprit Bumrah has been named in the squad for IND vs SA 2025 T20Is

Jasprit Bumrah has largely been off the ODI setup due to workload management, with his last appearance in the format being over two years ago. After a mediocre Test series against South Africa, the star pacer will be seen in action during the five-match T20I series, beginning from December 9 onwards.

The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack will host the series opener, which kick-starts India's final leg in their road to the 2026 T20 World Cup.