Why Jasprit Bumrah may play in Asia Cup despite India Release

India's premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been released from the squad for the ongoing fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England at The Oval.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the decision on Friday, citing workload management as the reason behind Bumrah's exclusion from both the playing XI and the squad.

Bumrah, who did not travel with the team to the ground on Day 2, was left out after having played three of the four Tests in the series.

"Mr Jasprit Bumrah has been released from India's squad for the fifth Test of the series against England. The fifth and final Test of the series is underway at Kennington Oval, London," read the official statement from the BCCI.

Prior to the series, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir had indicated that Bumrah would be limited to a maximum of three Tests in England as part of a pre-decided workload management plan. The 30-year-old featured in the matches at Headingley, Lord's, and Old Trafford, collecting 14 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, across 119.4 overs at an average of 26, making him India's top wicket-taker in the series.

While there was some expectation that he might feature in the series finale at The Oval, India opted to stick to their plan. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate explained the rationale after the end of Day 1's play.

"We obviously want to wheel him out, but we also want to respect where his body is at, and on the basis of that, we just felt that it wasn't worth including him in the squad. He has bowled a large number of overs, I know it doesn't always seem like that because he's only played three Tests and he's only bowled in one innings in Manchester," the India coach said.

Will Jasprit Bumrah play in Asia Cup?

Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the Asia Cup now remains under cloud. Although his workload management has been a matter of subject in recent times, Bumrah is likely to be picked for the upcoming continental tournament.

He is supposed to get a decent amount of break right now, which will hopefully revitalize the star pacer ahead of Asia Cup. As India look to showcase their might in the Asia Cup, Bumrah's presence will be crucial for the team. As the tournament will be in T20 format, hence the workload for the premier India pacer will also be comparatively lesser, which further boosts his probability of featuring in the tournament.

India are placed in Group A along with Pakistan, Oman and UAE, as the Asia Cup starts from September 9.