Jasprit Bumrah's availability has once again become a talking point ahead of the fourth Test match between India and England at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, with the Shubman Gill-led 2-1 down in the series following a defeat at Lord's in heartbreaking fashion by just 22 runs.

For those unversed, Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Bumrah himself had made it clear before the series that the star pacer will play only three matches in the series in order to manage his workload. However, the Indian team management did not clarify which matches the 31-year-old will play and miss.

This led to a massive controversy erupting as India decided to rest Bumrah in the second Test despite the team's defeat in the first match and a gap of more than a week between the two matches. The decision was taken in order to allow the world no.1 bowler to feature in the third Test at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground, which was just three days after the second Test in Birmingham ended.

Ex-Indian captain and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar was unhappy with the arrangement and claimed that it is not acceptable for players to pick and choose matches while being on tour. The legendary Indian batter, who was part of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad, stated that if bumrah is not fit, he should not play any match in the series.

"What is important is playing for India and if you are unfit, then don’t play at all. He had a gap of almost 7-8 days after the first Test match, but still was not included for the second Test which was not acceptable. Maybe it was acceptable for Agarkar and Gambhir," said Vengsarkar in an interaction with RevSports.

"I’m not in favour of bowlers picking and choosing Test matches. If you’re fit and available, you should play all the matches for your country. Bumrah is a world-class bowler, and he can win matches for India. But once you’re on tour, you need to play every match. There’s no question of selecting matches based on personal preference," Vengsarkar added.

Bumrah has been in top form so far with 12 wickets in two matches in the series and two five-wicket hauls in both matches he played. However, India won the second Test despite his absence.