Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 19 : As the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup was announced, chief selector Ajit Agarkar provided clarity on the management of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, emphasising the team's long-term focus on keeping him fit and available for marquee events.
"I don't think there's any written plan at the moment," Agarkar said while addressing Bumrah's workload.
"Obviously, there's been a nice break after the England series as well. The team management, the physios, or the people concerned are always in touch. It's not just now. Even before his injury, we've tried to look after him because we know how valuable he is," he added.
Agarkar underlined that while international cricket treats every game as important, Bumrah's availability is especially crucial during high-profile tournaments.
"Clearly, we want him available for all the big games. I know international cricket, every game is a big game, but there are World Cups, there are Champions Trophies or big series like England or Australia, where you want him available all the time," he said.
On Bumrah's injury struggles in recent years, Agarkar stressed the extra attention given to his workload management.
"Most fast bowlers are monitored, and yes, because he's picked up an injury over the last two or three years, there's extra care taken on how unique and how special he is, and it won't change. It won't change whether it's this series or maybe the next six months," he added.
The chief selector further added that the call on Bumrah's participation will continue to depend on inputs from the medical team.
"As we go along, how he's feeling, when we require him as a team, which is probably the most important thing and along with the physios and the trainers, those things are monitored anyway, but we hope that he's available more often than not," he said.
India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai. If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi and the remaining two in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26. Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28.
Team India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.