Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath has pointed fingers at the captain and coach over Jasprit Bumrah’s recurring injury issues. His comments come as multiple Indian players continue to battle fitness concerns, including Bumrah, who has been managing a knee niggle since the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Bumrah entered IPL 2026 late for Mumbai Indians, took a break afterward, but then suffered an impact injury during the recently concluded ODI series against England, ruling him out of the crucial two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Alongside Bumrah, Nitish Reddy, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, and Washington Sundar are also sidelined due to injury.
Badrinath Blames Captain and Coach for Bumrah’s Injury
“I don’t know who made the decision (to pick Bumrah in the SL Test squad). The Centre of Excellence (CoE) will not make the selection, right? They will just say he is in this state and can play these matches and his body is in this state. But I think the captain, coach, and selectors are taking the decision. CoE only passes the information. They are not selectors,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.
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“I don’t have an immediate answer to the root cause of so many injuries. It is important to see what kind of injuries these are. At high-level professional sport, injuries are common. Sai Sudharsan got hit by a ball, with Bumrah, it is a chronic injury because of being overused and fitness is not Sundar’s forte, he is injury-prone. His fitness needs a lot of work. Management and monitoring is very important. Injuries are bound to happen and you cannot control it,” he added.
Who Leads India’s Attack in Sri Lanka?
With Bumrah out, Mohammed Siraj will spearhead India’s pace bowling attack alongside Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar. Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has also been named in the squad and would become the first player from his state to represent India if he makes his debut. The two-Test series against Sri Lanka begins on August 15, with the second Test scheduled from August 23.