"Don't think he will be playing all games...": De Villiers on Bumrah Asia Cup selection

New Delhi [India], August 23 (ANI): Former South African batter AB de Villiers hailed Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's return to the T20Is set-up for the upcoming Asia Cup, but also said that he does not think that the senior pacer will feature in all games.

After his match-winning spell in the finals of the ICC T20 World Cup last year against South Africa, fans will get to see their beloved 'Jassi Bhai' in coloured T20I clothing after a long and remarkable run in white clothing, where five-wicket hauls came galore during the tours to England and Australia.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, De Villiers remarked that it was great to see him "fit and ready to go". He also lauded the selectors for managing his workload really well, as he did not play two of India's five Tests on the recently concluded tour and missed out on the final Test at The Oval after his fitness struggles at Manchester in the fourth Test.

"I do not think he will play all the games. I saw reports saying he will be earmarked for the games that matter, and I love that about the selectors being proactive. That is how you should be managing your senior and most impactful players," he said.

De Villiers also said that it is not like Bumrah is picking and choosing his games, as in such an environment where a lot of cricket takes place, it takes a toll over the years on players.

"Some selectors understand it, and some do not. And once you start managing these players, you will get the best out of them, and I love it that they have started doing that with Jasprit Bumrah," he concluded.

Bumrah is India's fifth-highest wicket-taker, with 89 scalps in 70 matches at an average of 17.74. He had a fantastic Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the Mumbai Indians (MI), taking 18 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.55 with a fifer to his name. After an injury lay-off for stress fracture sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Bumrah used the IPL to build-up his workload ahead of England tour.

Speaking on Kuldeep Yadav, the ace Chinaman spinner who did not feature during the England Tests and last played T20Is way back during the WC finals, AB hailed him for his skill-set and his "flight".

"A very skilful sportsman, he's quick on his feet with great hand-eye coordination. He is not your ordinary bowler that just bowls and is not good in the field. He has a very good brain and outsmarts the batters," he added.

With 69 scalps in 40 matches at an average of just over 14, Kuldeep is India's eighth-highest wicket-taker in T20Is. He featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, taking 15 wickets at an average of over 24 in 14 matches, with best figures of 3/22.

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 SinghReserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)

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