Sanjay Manjrekar advocates playing Jasprit Bumrah, cites his low match percentage in recent years

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has stressed the importance of playing Bumrah in all the remaining matches of the series.

Manjrekar revealed a striking statistic: Bumrah has played only 34% of India’s international matches over the last three years, which indicates that the pacer has been carefully managed to avoid burnout.  

"I play him every Test match purely because Indian cricket takes care of Bumrah. And I've said this before as well, the number is etched in my head. 34% of international matches that India have played in the last three years is what Bumrah has played," said Manjrekar.  

He further suggested that Bumrah should only be rested during bilateral series that hold less importance, ensuring he remains available for crucial games. "This is when you need him because these are the series that will be remembered forever. Give him a break in one of those bilaterals that we forget 48 hours later," he added.  

With the series poised at 1-1, the third Test is set to begin on December 14 at The Gabba in Brisbane. India must win the series 4-1 to secure their place in the World Test Championship Final without depending on other results. Any further loss will leave India reliant on the outcome of Sri Lanka's series against Australia.