Soam Desai, who formerly served as India's strength and conditioning coach, maintained that Jasprit Bumrah is difficult to manage and that a team strategy with a long-term perspective is necessary. Although Bumrah is perhaps the best all-format bowler currently, he has frequently been brought down by his fitness issues, causing him to miss a few important ICC events, such as the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Following a back injury he sustained in the fifth Test against Australia earlier this year, which prevented him from participating in the CT 2025, his workload was examined. Concerns about managing his fitness across formats were raised once again by the setback.

The Indian team management had already made arrangements for a prudent strategy for managing Bumrah's workload. Prior to the tour of England, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill made it plain that Bumrah would only play in three of the five Tests in an effort to maintain his fitness.

The 31-year-old is currently sitting out the Edgbaston Test, where India won decisively. There is widespread conjecture that Bumrah could also miss the Manchester game in accordance with the original plan. The squad management may, however, decide to rest him for the fifth test if India continues to lag 1-2.

Desai emphasized the importance of treating Bumrah with respect, noting that the pacer is a "strategic asset" that cannot be used excessively. Desai, who has collaborated closely with Bumrah since his early days in domestic cricket, highlighted the physical toll that the pacer takes and the need to focus his training on key series—what he called "surgical strikes"—while carefully managing his workload at other times.

"Bumrah is an asset that must be treated wisely. He needs to be handled by a small crew, get him ready for surgical assaults a few times a year, and be cautious around him at other times. Since 2014, when he was recuperating from his ACL injury on RTP, from his Gujarat Ranji Trophy days, I have been with him, Soham told the Indian Express.

The former India assistant coach went on to say that everyone should collaborate to make sure Bumrah isn't hurt.

"He is a unique and talented individual who has put in a lot of effort to stand out from the crowd. We must adopt a cohesive, collective, and collaborative strategy with a long-term perspective guiding our choices, and ideally with a high degree of continuity among the individuals around him, in order to manage men like him.

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