Team India Next Test Captain: Jasprit Bumrah is the frontrunner to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain in the future but considering his fitness concerns, he does not appear to be a long-term option and due to a recent back strain problem, he is likely to be ruled out next month. It is doubtful whether he will play in the Champions Trophy. The Indian selectors are hopeful that he can play some role in the Champions Trophy as now he is just suffering from swelling. But the question arises whether he can be considered a permanent captain in Test matches because now Rohit’s future in Test matches is almost certain.
After Rohit, if not Bumrah then who?
If Bumrah is fit to captain the Test team in England, then there is no problem, but if Bumrah feels unable to captain and manage his workload along with bowling, then Team India will have to look for some other option. And in such a situation, there is one player who is considered to be the biggest contender for the long race and that name is Rishabh Pant (Rishabh Pant will be the next test captain in place of Jasprit Bumrah), who will be given the captaincy. Along with this, he also has a lot of experience in understanding foreign pitches and batting and he can become the first choice in the current era.
If Bumrah becomes the captain then he will be the vice-captain
If Bumrah pulls everything together and leads the team, then chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his four teammates need a strong name as the vice-captain so that the vice-captain can handle the responsibility in any situation that arises. Be capable of. At present only two names Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal are in discussion in Test. Out of these, Pant seems to be the most suitable for this role.
It is understood that Bumrah’s lower back problem came to light during the BCCI’s review meeting with Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and Rohit on Saturday. After the review meeting, it can be concluded that Rohit will be out of action for the five Test matches. The chances of going to England are very slim and if everything goes well then 31-year-old Bumrah will definitely lead the team in the first Test at Headingley.
Fast bowler Bumrah, who took 443 international wickets in just 203 matches, led India in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth and Sydney and was the ‘Player of the Series’ by taking 32 wickets, the most by an Indian on foreign soil. There are wickets, but a back muscle strain in the last Test did not prove to be good for him as he could not bowl in the second innings. Now he is ready to undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru to play the Champions Trophy.
This injury has raised questions whether Bumrah can remain fit for a long time considering his workload as a fast bowler in Tests, which is also required for ICC white-ball tournaments. There is no guarantee that Bumrah will not suffer further injuries during the next WTC cycle from June 2025 to June 2027 and now that he is past 30 years of age. The selectors may therefore be tempted to come up with another plan that involves having another equally strong candidate for the captaincy who can be groomed as the vice-captain.
Former national selector Devang Gandhi said, “For me it is a very simple thing. You look at the data and find out who can definitely be selected in Test cricket. Bumrah has played 45 tests and Pant has played 43 tests. He (Pant) is 27 years old now and when he was only 23 years old, he gave India its best Test win at Gabba. He is a match winner and should be the vice-captain. Deep Dasgupta, another former India wicketkeeper, agreed that Bumrah may not be a long-term option as Test captain given his bowling workload.
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