‘I Don’t Know Who Made the Decision’: Ex-India Batter Questions Jasprit Bumrah’s Workload Management as CoE Faces Scrutiny…

India’s growing injury crisis has once again put the spotlight on the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) and the way the national team manages player workload.

The latest concern revolves around premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of India’s upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka after failing to recover from a knee injury sustained during the England tour. His absence is a significant blow for a team that continues to depend heavily on him across formats.

With several players currently dealing with fitness issues, questions have naturally emerged over whether India’s workload management and rehabilitation system is working as effectively as it should.

Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath, however, believes the CoE should not be held responsible for selection decisions. According to him, the Bengaluru-based facility’s role is primarily to assess a player’s physical condition, monitor recovery and pass the relevant information to the team management.

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“I don’t know who made the decision,” Badrinath said while discussing Bumrah’s situation on his YouTube channel. He stressed that the CoE is not a selection body and does not decide whether a player should be picked.

Badrinath explained that the facility provides the medical and fitness assessment, including whether a player is physically capable of playing certain matches. The final call, he said, rests with the captain, coach and selectors.

Bumrah’s workload under the microscope

Bumrah’s case has attracted particular attention because of the importance of workload management in the career of a fast bowler.

The 32-year-old has previously undergone careful fitness and workload monitoring. Earlier in 2026, he reported to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for a strength-and-conditioning programme designed to manage his workload ahead of the IPL and India’s demanding international schedule.

The latest setback, however, has renewed the debate over how much cricket Bumrah should play and how his workload should be managed between international assignments and franchise cricket.

For India, the issue is bigger than simply missing one player. Bumrah remains one of the country’s most valuable match-winners, particularly in Test cricket, where his ability to produce breakthroughs in difficult conditions makes him a crucial part of the bowling attack.

India’s injury list grows

Bumrah is not the only major name currently dealing with fitness problems.

According to the latest reports, Sai Sudharsan has been sidelined with a left big-toe injury, while Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy are recovering from hamstring problems. Washington Sundar is also unavailable because of a quadriceps injury.

The different nature of these injuries makes it difficult to point towards a single reason behind India’s growing list of absentees.

Badrinath also made this distinction, noting that some injuries are unavoidable in professional sport. He cited Sudharsan’s injury as an impact-related setback, while describing Bumrah’s problem as more chronic and associated with repeated physical demands.

His broader message was that fitness, workload management and regular monitoring have to remain priorities, even though injuries cannot be eliminated completely.

Why the CoE is under scrutiny

The Centre of Excellence has become an increasingly important part of India’s cricket structure, handling fitness assessments, rehabilitation and sports-science support for national-level players.

That has inevitably placed the facility under greater public scrutiny whenever several prominent cricketers are injured at the same time.

But Badrinath’s comments underline an important distinction: the CoE provides information, while the ultimate selection decision belongs to the team’s decision-makers.

That distinction could become particularly important in Bumrah’s case as India attempts to balance his availability with the need to protect his long-term fitness.

For now, the immediate priority is clear — getting Bumrah fully fit rather than rushing him back.

India will begin its two-Test series against Sri Lanka on August 15, with the second Test scheduled for August 23. Bumrah’s absence means the team will have to rely on its other pace options, while the debate over his workload and India’s broader injury-management system is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

The bigger question for Indian cricket is therefore not simply when Bumrah will return, but whether the system can keep its most important players fit for the matches that matter most.