Fans Brutally Troll Jasprit Bumrah for Workload Management

In the past month, former India player Aakash Chopra has expressed surprise and sadness over the way fans have turned on star bowler Jasprit Bumrah for managing his workload during the recently concluded India-England Test series. Prior to the series, Bumrah was being touted as a potential captain, with fans arguing that bowlers should be given leadership opportunities. However, after the series ended in a 2-2 draw, with India's two wins coming in matches Bumrah missed, he faced intense criticism and trolling from fans.

Chopra noted that Bumrah, who is considered a generational talent and the best bowler in the world right now, has in fact bowled more overs and taken more wickets than teammate Mohammed Siraj in the last five years, despite playing nine fewer Tests. He highlighted that only two pacers, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, have taken more Test wickets than Bumrah since 2020, making the backlash against him even more surprising and disappointing.

Chopra believes that while workload management is important to keep Bumrah fit and firing in crucial matches, the decision to announce before the series that he would only play three Tests may have given England an advantage in preparing their strategies. Nevertheless, he feels the fans' reaction has made him ashamed of the current state of the cricketing fan fraternity.