‘I think it’s pretty harsh’, Shane Bond defends Jasprit Bumrah for white-ball unavailability ahead of India’s ODI series against New Zealand

India's Jasprit Bumrah bowls during the men’s cricket gold-medal match between India and Pakistan at the Asian Games 2026 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday, October 03, 2026. (Photo: IANS/Biplab Banerjee)

Former Blackcaps seamer Shane Bond has defended India’s senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah for not being available to participate in the upcoming five-match ODI series as part of the full fledged all-format tour of New Zealand. Bumrah has been rested for all the five one-day internationals, starting tomorrow, with full focus given on the two-match Test series.

In order to manage each and every player’s workload, the Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to rest several players, especially those who will feature in the two red-ball matches. For example, Shubman Gill will take part in only the first three ODIs, while a few other players, who were a part of the T20I side, will be available for selection in some of the matches.

Jasprit Bumrah is also among those names. After missing the T20I series, which India managed to win by 3-2, the right-arm pacer will also sit out for the ODIs. While many have praised BCCI’s decision to keep him out, many have opined that Bumrah is deliberately picking and choosing formats to play as per his own convenience.

However, Shane Bond, who has worked with Jasprit Bumrah during their time together at the Mumbai Indians, feels that it’s a wrong perception.

“There’s often a perception that players are simply picking and choosing what they want to play. I don’t think that’s the case at all,” Shane Bond told the Times of India in an exclusive interview.

Shane Bond then argued that senior pacers understand how their bodies react and that they are constantly managing their workload along with the medical staff and coaches. Bond also claimed that it’s always difficult for any bowler to stage a comeback after an injury layoff.

“Experienced bowlers understand their bodies very well. They’re constantly discussing their workloads with medical staff and coaches, assessing what they can physically handle. The biggest risk period is always when a player is returning from injury and readjusting to competitive cricket,” Bond said.

Therefore, the former New Zealand international feels that it will be harsh to say that Jasprit Bumrah is picking and choosing. “That’s why I think it’s pretty harsh on Booms (Bumrah) to suggest he’s picking and choosing,” Shane Bond added.

The 51-year-old further added that workload management applies to every player, not just Jasprit Bumrah. He argued that since India play plenty of cricket round the year, it’s an important task for the team management to keep their senior players ready for big occasions, like the ICC Cricket World Cup next year.

“It applies not just to Booms but to every player. India play an enormous amount of cricket, so managing workloads is essential. You want your best players fit, fresh and ready when the World Cup arrives next Oct or Nov,” Shane Bond added.

Bond concluded by saying that every nation is trying to strike the right amount of balance to juggle in between the demands of international and franchise cricket.

“Every major cricket nation is trying to achieve the same balance, especially with the demands of both international and franchise cricket,” Shane Bond concluded.