‘Jasprit Bumrah is an automatic choice for India captaincy unless he doesn’t want it. Shubman Gill should be…': Jaffer
Jaffer believes Shubman Gill can step up as the captain whenever Jasprit Bumrah is rested. That way, Gill can also be groomed for the captaincy role future.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer voted for Jasprit Bumrah in the race to become India's Test captain after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the format. With the squad for the five-match series in England set to be announced next week, debate around India's next Test captain has reached its peak. According to multiple reports, Shubman Gill is set to be appointed the Test skipper but Jaffer believes Bumrah should be given the leadership mantle.
Calling Bumrah "an automatic choice" to take over the reins of India's red-ball set-up from Rohit Sharma, Jaffer said Shubman Gill should be appointed the vice-captain.
"I think Bumrah is an automatic captaincy choice, unless he doesn't want the responsibility," Jaffer wrote on X.
How Bumrah fell behind Shubman Gill in the captaincy race
Bumrah's fitness is reportedly the biggest concern. The pace spearhead is currently India's designated Test vice-captain and has also led India in three Tests in England and Australia in Rohit's absence. In fact, India's only Test win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy came under Bumrah's captaincy.
According to a PTI report, Bumrah's selection as Test captain was a no-brainer, but the fast bowler's injury in the last Test in Sydney forced the selectors to rethink. Bumrah had missed more than a year of internationals after suffering a stress fracture in 2021.
After extensive rehab, he made a strong comeback in all three formats, playing a pivotal role for India in the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup in 2024, and bilateral affairs. But just when his stocks as a leader were on the rise, he suffered another injury setback that ruled him out of the final Test. Bumrah did not come out to bowl in the second innings, which many believe hampered whatever chances India had of turning the match in their favour.
Due to the same injury, he missed the Champions Trophy and a few matches at the start of the IPL. He has once again made a successful comeback, but doubts remain about his participation in a full four—or five-match Test series.
Gautam Gambhir is a firm believer in appointing a fit captain who is an automatic choice in the XI. That was one of the major reasons why he preferred Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I skipper over Hardik Pandya. He and the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, are believed to be on the same page regarding Bumrah. It is nearly impossible for Bumrah to be available for every Test that India plays,as his workload would need to be managed.
Jaffer, however, believes Gill can step up as the captain whenever Bumrah is rested. That way, Gill can also be groomed for the captaincy role future.
"He should be the captain with Gill as VC - stepping in whenever Bumrah needs rest. This way Gill could also be groomed without the pressure of being the full-time captain," Jaffer said.
