Team India is undergoing a transition phase after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s exit but one of the biggest dilemma for the selectors will be, who is going to be the next Test captain of India. According to multiple reports emerging now, the two contenders of India’s Test captaincy are Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
Sunil Gavaskar Wants THIS Player To Lead India
According to India’s former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, Shubman Gill should not be handed over the captaincy, instead he named India’s star cricketer Jasprit Bumrah to lead the squad.
“Who better to know what is the workload for himself than himself? If you appoint somebody else, they would always want an extra over from Bumrah. If he is your No. 1 bowler, he will himself know that ‘yes, this is the time I must take a break’. To me, it has to be Jasprit Bumrah only. I know all these kind of speculation going around his workload and all that. Give it to him so that he knows how many overs to bowl, when to take him off, when to sort of rest. That would be the best thing,” Gavaskar said on Sports Today.
“He Will Be The Best Person” Says Gavaskar
“He (Bumrah) may not have to miss a Test match. If you give it to him, he might know when to stop before his body starts to crumble. For me, give it to him. After the first Test, there is an eight-day gap. There’s enough time to recover. Then, there are two back-to-back Test matches. That’s fine. There’s then another gap. If you give him the captaincy, he will be the best person to know when to bowl,” he added.
Jasprit Bumrah Led Was The Vice-Captain In BGT
Jasprit Bumrah served as Rohit Sharma’s deputy in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and he even led India towards victory in the first Test at Perth in absence of Rohit Sharma. Yet, that campaign also witnessed him suffering a major injury, which kept him out of the following Champions Trophy triggering red alarms about his fitness to be consistent in a position that requires sustained reliability.
Bumrah’s Workload Management
Given this, the BCCI is walking carefully, not wanting to put captaincy duties on Bumrah that might exacerbate his physical state. This has opened the door for a new favorite: Shubman Gill. Based on various reports, Gill has become the favorite to lead the team in the Test format. Young, technically gifted, and regarded as a long-term asset, Gill has impressed selectors with his temperament and development.
