Jasprit Bumrah is the frontrunner to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain going forward but the peerless pacer doesn’t seem to be a long-term option given his nagging fitness concerns, the latest being a back spasm which has rendered him doubtful for next month’s Champions Trophy. Indian selectors are hopeful that he still might have some role in the Champions Trophy since it’s a swelling, but when one looks at the bigger picture the question arises whether he can be deemed a permanent skipper in Tests, now that Rohit’s days in whites look as good as over. If Bumrah is fit and ready to lead the Test side in England, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his four colleagues need to have a strong name as vice-captain so that in case of an unforeseen scenario, the deputy is good enough to take charge.
For now, in Tests, only two names are in the reckoning — Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal — with the former looking the most suitable for that role.
It is understood that during BCCI’s review meeting on Saturday with Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and Rohit, Bumrah’s issues with the lower back cropped up.
Post the review meeting, one can conclude that it is very unlikely Rohit will travel to England for the five Tests, and the 31-year-old Bumrah will certainly lead the team in the first Test at Headingley if all goes well.
The pacer with 443 international scalps across formats in just 203 games led India at Perth and Sydney in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy and was the ‘player of the series’ with 32 wickets, the highest by an Indian on foreign soil.
But the back spasm in the final Test proved to be his undoing as he could not bowl in the second innings and is set to undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru with an eye on playing the Champions Trophy.
The injury has raised questions whether Bumrah can remain fit for long periods given his workload as the pace spearhead in Tests, who is also required for ICC white-ball events.
There is no guarantee that Bumrah won’t have more breakdowns during the next WTC cycle from June 2025 to June 2027, now that he is on the wrong side of 30s.
Hence, the selectors might be tempted to have a Plan B ready, which is to have another equally strong captaincy candidate, who can be groomed as vice-captain.
“For me, it is a very simple thing. You look at the data and find who is a sure-shot pick in Test cricket. Bumrah has played 45 Tests and Pant has 43 Tests. He (Pant) is 27 now and by the time he was only 23, he had singlehandedly won India one of its greatest Tests at the Gabba. He is a match-winner, a good sounding board for bowlers and should be the vice-captain,” former national selector Devang Gandhi said.
Another former India keeper Deep Dasgupta agreed that Bumrah cannot be a long-term solution as Test captain given his bowling workloads.
“It is not just the marquee series (England, Australia) that we are talking about. In between Test matches, there will be ICC events where Bumrah’s presence is a must. Like this year, it is Champions Trophy and next year it will be the T20 World Cup. He is managing it well by not playing bilaterals but nearer to events, he would need to. Then the bowling workload becomes paramount. Don’t forget two months of IPL,” Dasgupta explained.
“So even as Bumrah starts as the next Test captain, there is a need for a strong vice-captain, and yes Pant fits the bill,” he said.
Both felt that Jaiswal should not be burdened with vice-captaincy considering that he will spearhead India’s batting challenge in the coming days and there is still some time before the establishment can think of him in a leadership role.
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