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AB de Villiers praises Jasprit Bumrah’s squad inclusion for the 2025 Asia Cup, supports selective play to manage workload, and hails Kuldeep Yadav’s skill and boldness as a bowler.
Jasprit Bumrah is fit and back in India’s Asia Cup squad. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Former South Africa captain and batting great AB de Villiers believes that Jasprit Bumrah won’t play all of India’s games at the 2025 Asia Cup. He supported such a decision, too, saying good selectors understand the workload needs of some elite players and help get the best out of them as well.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not confirmed this theory. However, they rested Bumrah for two of the five Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. Although the Asia Cup is in T20 format and Bumrah won’t feel any excessive workload in bowling four overs in each match, it might make sense to rest him in group-stage games against Oman and UAE, where Harshit Rana can join Arshdeep Singh.
“Great to see him in the squad, fit and ready to go,” de Villiers said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I don’t think he will play all the games. I saw reports saying he will be earmarked for the games that matter, and I love that about the selectors being proactive. That’s how you should be managing your senior and most impactful players,” he added.
“It’s not like they are picking and choosing. So much cricket these days that for your older guys, over age 30, their work has taken its toll over the years. Some selectors understand it, and some don’t. And once you start managing these players, you will get the best out of them, and I love it that they’ve started doing that with Jasprit Bumrah.”
India can play a maximum of seven matches at the tournament: three will happen in the group stage, three more in the Super-Four phase, and a final, if they get there.
de Villiers hails Kuldeep
The former Proteas star also doffed his hat to India’s other attacking threat with the ball, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
“He (Kuldeep) is skilled and very bold. He gives the ball a lot of flight and is a wonderful player. A very skillful sportsman, he’s quick on his feet with a great hand-eye coordination. He’s not your ordinary bowler that just bowls and isn’t good in the field. He’s got a very good brain and outsmarts the batters,” said De Villiers.
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