Why isn’t Jasprit Bumrah playing in ODIs for India?

Jasprit Bumrah’s last ODI for India was the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup final against Australia.

Jasprit Bumrah‘s name was once again missing as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s squad for the ODI series against New Zealand. The series starts from January 11 and the BCCI reportedly has rested Bumrah and Hardik Pandya ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup starting next month.

Reports of the duo’s likely omission from the New Zealand ODI series began a few days before the squad was to be announced. A report in Cricbuzz stated that both Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah were likely to be rested as the board wants to keep them fresh for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Reports further said that Hardik Pandya, who played in the T20I series against South Africa, was not fit to bowl his full quota of 10 overs as observed by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) medical team. On the other hand, Bumrah has not played an ODI for India since last 776 days. His last ODI for India was, incidentally, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final against Australia.

The reason behind him not playing in ODIs in recent times is that the format itself is played very often nowadays, with Test and T20I cricket gaining priority.

Jasprit Bumrah’s last ODI for India was the 2023 ODI World Cup final

The bigger question that has been bothering many is why Jasprit Bumrah is not being considered in ODIs despite him being fit. Since Bumrah played his last ODI, the Indian ODI team under head coach Gautam Gambhir has experimented a lot with the bowling lineup with many young guns getting opportunities.

The BCCI has been careful about not exposing Jasprit Bumrah too much before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027. He has been troubled time and again in the past with back problems and the board is wary about the problem and doesn’t want to put extra pressure on him.

While he plays Tests regularly, his white-ball format participation depends on the ICC event which is approaching next. Since the T20 World Cup 2026 is approaching, he is focused on T20Is and once the event will be over, he is likely to shift his focus on ODIs and sideline T20Is, which is now case with ODIs. This is to manage his workload and keep him fit for big events.

Meanwhile, Bumrah’s roadmap in ODIs can be dictated by how India performs in the T20 World Cup 2026 and whether they are able to defend the title. The focus must shift to the preparation for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 after the T20 World Cup next year and Bumrah must have enough overs in him to perform at his best for India in the ICC event in South Africa. The BCCI must learn to make their way through getting Bumrah back to his bowling rhythm in ODIs.

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