Jasprit Bumrah, the fast-bowling spearhead, was one of the hot contenders to captain India in Test cricket when Rohit Sharma stood down in May. In reality, his appointment as captain seemed like a no-brainer, given that he was already vice-captain and had captained a number of games during the Australian trip. The national selectors, however, made an unexpected move by naming Shubman Gill as the team’s captain for the future.
Gill will be making his debut as Test skipper during the England series. The trip will host India for five games, beginning June 20 in Leeds. Ahead of the series, Bumrah has now revealed why the selection committee and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not choose him as the team’s red-ball captain.
As a result of the communication, Jasprit Bumrah stepped down from the position due to workload issues.
“Before Rohit [Sharma] and Virat [Kohli] retired, I met with the BCCI during the IPL, discussed workload for a five-match Test series, and spoke with people who manage my back. We came to the conclusion that we needed to be a little smarter, and I informed the BCCI that I did not want to be considered for the leadership post because I would be unable to play all of the Test matches,” Bumrah told Sky Sports in an interview ahead of the England series.
BCCI was considering me for the leadership job, but I had to decline because it’s not ideal when someone leads for three tests and then others have to lead the remaining tests, which is unfair to the team because I wanted to put the team first,” he continued.
While the appointment of Gill may have come as a surprise, it was only fair since the fast bowler Bumrah may not have been able to cope with the rigours of the long tours away from home. Being the frontline bowler, the Indian team wants Bumrah to be in his best shape and contribute with the ball in order to win crucial matches for the side in the England series, and in the farther future as well, as far as the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle is concerned.
The England series will begin with the first Test at the Headingley, Leeds from June 20, as Bumrah and India gear up for their first-ever Test of the new WTC cycle.
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