Former India fast-bowler Munaf Patel feels the decision to rest pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the 4th Test against England might have come keeping in mind IPL and T20 World Cup 2024 slated to be played in the next four months.
Bumrah has been rested for the fourth Test against England and the decision was taken keeping in mind “the duration of the series and amount of cricket he has played in recent times” as per the BCCI release.
Many former cricketers have raised questions on the decision but Munaf Patel feels if management has taken decided there shouldn’t be any “ifs and buts.”
“How you’re using a bowler depends on you. This is management’s decision and there are no ifs and buts in that,” Munaf Patel told IANS on the sidelines of the Indian Veteran Premier League (IVPL) where he is captaining Chhattisgarh Warriors.
On being asked whether the decision might have been taken keeping in mind the upcoming T20 World Cup, Munaf replied, “Before the T20 World Cup there is IPL also, he has to also play 16 matches in IPL and only the T20 World Cup will follow.”
Speaking about captaining Chhattisgarh Warriors in IVPL, the 40-year-old said, “There’s not a lot of hand-holding required. Players know what they’re supposed to do. I just have to focus on setting the fielding based on the situation.”
Chhattisgarh Warriors lost the first match against Red Carpet Delhi on Saturday but Munaf was still happy with the team’s performance. “Today’s game was really good. They posted a total of 255 and we scored 233. We lost by 22 runs. The pitch was favoring the batter and we wanted to stop them at 210-215 but they were able to score more. It was a good game.”
The former India pacer is loving his stint in the IVPL here in Greater Noida. “I love the game and I don’t know anything else. It’s really fun to meet my old friends. It’s exciting in that sense that it’s given us all the opportunity to come together,” he signed off.