India’s premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, has publicly taken on former cricketer-turned-commentator Mohammad Kaif after the latter questioned his fitness and bowling patterns. The exchange unfolded on X, where Kaif suggested that Bumrah was deliberately avoiding death overs to reduce the risk of injury.

Kaif pointed out that under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Bumrah’s workload was usually spread across different phases — with overs in the powerplay, middle, and especially the death. However, in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, Bumrah bowled three overs upfront in the powerplay, a move Kaif felt indicated caution.

“Bumrah under Rohit would generally bowl overs 1, 13, 17, and 19. Under Surya, in the Asia Cup, he bowled three overs at the start. To avoid injury, Bumrah prefers to bowl when his body is warmed up. One less Bumrah over in the last 14 is a big relief for batters. Against stronger teams at the World Cup, this could hurt India,” Mohammad Kaif wrote.

ALSO READ: Irfan Pathan Praises Pakistan’s Fielding And Discipline After Win Over Bangladesh

Bumrah, clearly unimpressed, quote-tweeted Kaif and bluntly dismissed the claims, stating that Kaif had been wrong about him before and was wrong yet again. His response came after India’s Super 4 clash against Bangladesh, where Bumrah was once again lethal with the new ball, troubling the top order and setting the tone for India’s victory.

Inaccurate before inaccurate again 👍🏾 https://t.co/knkjXOGOKb

— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) September 25, 2025

Since his back injury during the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah has been carefully managed by the BCCI. He played only three of five Tests against England before returning to T20Is after almost a year. While his shift in bowling patterns has sparked debate, India’s strategy of using Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, and occasional part-timers in the death overs has worked well. The unbeaten Indian side has already booked its place in the Asia Cup final, proving that the experiment has not backfired.

ALSO READ: Suryakumar Yadav Pleads Not Guilty In ICC Hearing After PCB Complaint

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Kaif has been critical of Bumrah’s workload and career path. Earlier this year, during the England series, he even speculated that Bumrah might step away from Test cricket to prolong his career. Kaif had argued that Bumrah’s pace seemed down and that the pacer might eventually retire from red-ball cricket rather than risk long-term fitness.

Bumrah’s sharp response on X suggests he has no intention of letting outside voices dictate his narrative. While he didn’t specifically reference Kaif’s earlier prediction about his Test future, his words hinted that he hasn’t forgotten. For now, Bumrah remains focused, leading India’s attack with both intensity and consistency — proving critics wrong with every spell.