Irfan Pathan has denied the reported quotes claiming he criticised India’s workload management of Jasprit Bumrah during the ongoing 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
After being rested for India’s historic win at Edgbaston, Jasprit Bumrah returned to the playing XI for the third Test at Lord’s. He delivered another match-defining performance (5-74 and 2-38), but India fell agonisingly short in their chase of 193, losing by just 22 runs in a nail-biting finish.
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News18 reported that Pathan, on his YouTube channel, criticised India for missing a trick by not giving Bumrah longer spells, which could have given the visitors an advantage.
However, Pathan took to X to debunk the claims, stating the reported quotes misrepresented him and urging to "stop spreading fake news".
"Absolutely not," he wrote. "If Bumrah wanted to bowl another over or asked the captain for one when Joe Root came in, no team or management in the world would stop him.
"So please stop spreading fake news-I never questioned Team India on this."
Absolutely not. If Bumrah wanted to bowl another over or asked the captain for one when Joe Root came in, no team or management in the world would stop him. So please stop spreading fake news-I never questioned Team India on this.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 18, 2025
What were Irfan Pathan’s original comments?
In the video, Pathan argued that Bumrah failed to 'seize the moment' by not bowling a longer spell – a decision he believed cost India control of the game. To drive home his point, he contrasted this with Ben Stokes’ marathon final-day spell defending a modest target.
Rather than questioning the Indian team, his comments appeared directed more at Bumrah, suggesting he felt the bowler himself was reluctant to bowl more.
"Ben Stokes bowled a marathon spell of 9.2 overs (on Day 5)," he said. "He bats, bowls, effects run-outs but nobody talks about (his) workload when he’s bowling.
"Jasprit Bumrah bowled five overs and then stopped (when Joe Root came in to bat) – it was the phase when you had to take control of the game," Pathan observed.
"Stokes wears several hats – batting, bowling, captaincy, fielding – he does everything. If he can bowl a 9-over spell for his team, then I feel we were left behind here. You expect your top bowler to seize the moment," he added.
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