With the lack of form for the regular Test captain of India, Rohit Sharma, in the longest format of the game, the premier pacer of the national side, Jasprit Bumrah, is expected to replace the Mumbai-batter for the leadership position during their upcoming five-match red-ball series in England in June 2025. But the recent list of injuries of the fast bowler has raised the concern among the selectors.
Jasprit Bumrah kept India in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 down under with the help of 32 scalps in nine innings at an average of nearly 13 with the help of three five-wicket hauls at the best bowling figure of 6/76 in an innings. The 31-year-old led the blue brigade to a 295-run victory in their season opener at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
But the Gujarat bowler, who was appointed back as the leader for the series decider at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), left the field in the first innings and couldn’t return to bowl in the second innings due to injury. That raised a question if the swelling could rule the bowler out of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which will be taking place at the Dubai International Stadium for the blue brigade.
Rishabh Pant ahead of Jasprit Bumrah to become India’s future Test captain
Even if Jasprit Bumrah gets fit for the upcoming five-match series of the five-day format in England, the chief selector of the BCCI, Ajit Agarkar, and his team would be needed to hand over the vice-captaincy to a player, who can shoulder the responsibility in case an unforeseen scenario takes place.
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For the moment, only the wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant and the young opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal have looked to be suitable for the role. The reports have claimed that during the BCCI’s review meeting on January 11 with Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and captain Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah’s back injury was also discussed.
Jaiswal had done an excellent job with the bat to finish as the second leading run-getter of the BGT 2024-25 with the help of 391 runs in ten innings at an average of 43.44 and a strike rate of 53.41, with the help of two half-centuries and one century at the best score of 161 in Perth. Despite being his maiden trip down under, the left-hander looked calm in the process and showed enough competitiveness against the home bowlers.
Pant didn’t have a great time in the series with 255 runs in nine innings at 28.33, but the 61-run knock on a tough SCG surface was enough to prove his caliber in the format.
The recent injury of Jasprit Bumrah has been the biggest challenge for the selectors. At the north of 30, the right-arm pacer has already earned 443 international scalps in 203 games. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy to regain his fitness. There is no guarantee that he won’t break down for the next 2025-27 cycle of the World Test Championship.
“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.” The former national selector, Devang Gandhi, expressed.
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The former wicket-keeper batter of India, Deep Dasgupta, has also advocated for Jasprit Bumrah not being the long-term solution for Test captain.
“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 the Champions Trophy, and next year it will be the T20 World Cup.” The former Bengal batter highlighted.
“He (Jasprit Bumrah) is managing it well by not playing bilateral but nearer to events, he would need to. Then, the bowling workload becomes paramount. Don’t forget two months of IPL.” Dasgupta concluded.