Play or not play Jasprit Bumrah against water in the Asian Cup 2025

Team India finally hit the ground when they trained hard for a good 3 -hour session at the ICC academy on Friday, September 5. Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube worked on their bowling alley, and Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav had long shot sessions; Meanwhile, Sanju Samson and Jiteh Sharma also experienced a passage. By the way, Jasprit Bumrah was steam, strangling the bullets in a simple session designed to accustom the players with Dubai soaked humidity.

But that’s what Bumrah is really. It is not he who leaves a single ounce of effort there. This may also be the reason why his workload is of this critical importance. He likes to dominate, love strikers and prosper by proving that he is the best bowling player of his generation. Whatever the format, Bumrah is a jewel. “National Treasure”, as Virat Kohli called her after the victory of the T20 2024 World Cup. But being also important, Bumrah really needs to play the opening game of India which is against water? Let us discuss more about this below.

Why Bumrah should play in Ind Vs Uae Asia Cup Match

There were debates if Bumrah should be selected from the Asian Cup team. Despite a series of tests that follows right after the tournament, the BCCI chose Bumrah to be part of the multi-noble competition. Now that he’s in the team, why should he be left out?

Bumrah played a match for the last time in July for India. In fact, it was on July 26 that Bumrah was seen the bowling alley. He missed the fifth and last test against England and recovers and has relaxed since. Now India plays the water on September 9. This means a 46 -day gap. India is to face Pakistan next September 14 and that means that Bumrah would like to have a playing time before this high octane match. It is therefore completely logical for Bumrah to present himself and to appear against water, hosts.

Suppose also that Bumrah does not play and that India includes someone like Harshit Rana in the first match. Then, whatever Rana’s performance, it would be difficult to return to the bench when the match against Pakistan arrives. We all know that India needs Bumrah against Pakistan, so why not give it some overs against the United Arab Emirates so that there is no lack of addiction in the conditions?

Why should Bumrah not play in the Ind Vs Uae Asia Cup match

Now the counter argument. Jasprit Bumrah needs decisive management. He shouldn’t play every game. Regardless of what the former cricket players say, Bumrah must choose matches. After an exhausting Border-Gavaskar trophy, Bumrah almost had to undergo surgery. He missed the majority of the action. Well, he missed the entire ICC ODI Champions trophy, which also occurred in Dubai (for India).

Guess what? India won him without him. It was a tournament featuring the eight best ODI teams in the world. And it is only a cup in Asia, where the second best team after India is Sri Lanka, which is sixth in the T20i ranking. So the quality of the competition is not so high either. Therefore, not playing against water will not cost anything for India.

There is a valid argument that Bumrah should play matches that are only against Pakistan at the Asian Cup. After all, the two Arch rivals can play a maximum of 3 games if the two qualify for the final. In this way, Bumrah plays all the important games without wreaking havoc on his body. In addition, there is a turnover of only 72 hours after the Asian Cup final when the Antilles test tour in India begins. Between this, India would also need to go home. And we all know how important the tests are for Bumrah, whose bowling average (9.23) is quite phenomenal against Windies.

Group phase match of India at the Asian Cup 2025

• – Match 1: India vs United Arab Emirates (Water)
  Date: September 10, 2025 (Wednesday)
  Time: 7:30 p.m. IST (6.30 p.m. local time in Dubai)
  Location: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
• – Match 2: India vs Pakistan
  Date: September 14, 2025 (Sunday)
  Time: 7:30 p.m. IST (6.30 p.m. local time in Dubai)
• – Match 3: India vs Oman
  Date: September 19, 2025 (Friday)
  Time: 7:30 p.m. IST (6.30 p.m. local time in Abu Dhabi)
  Location: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi