Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has criticised the decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test against England, saying India must begin planning for a future in Test cricket without relying heavily on Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

The second Test of the five-match series began on Wednesday at Edgbaston. India captain Shubman Gill confirmed that Bumrah was rested as part of workload management.

Pathan, speaking on Sony Sports, said that picking and choosing matches without an injury is not ideal when representing the national team. “If you are selected for the Indian team, then because of workload, you cannot pick and choose. Bumrah is a world-class bowler. But he is not injured. He is being rested to manage workload,” Pathan said.

He warned that such decisions could disrupt the continuity of India’s pace attack. “If Bumrah is not playing all five Tests, then we lose out. And the replacement, like Akash Deep, only plays when Bumrah does not. That player then lacks stability and continuity,” he said.

Pathan also said India must begin preparing for life without senior fast bowlers. “We have to start thinking of playing Test cricket without Bumrah and Shami. Planning must be done with that in mind,” he said.

He added that the current five-match series in England is the only such overseas assignment in this World Test Championship cycle. “There are just two Tests in New Zealand and two in Sri Lanka after this. This was the big series. If Bumrah is rested now, then it does not help Indian cricket,” he said.

Bumrah was India’s standout performer in the first Test. He bowled 24.4 overs in the first innings and took five wickets for 83 runs.