BCCI sources told The Indian Express that they will likely not pick India’s star pacer and current vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah, for a leadership role in the upcoming Test series in England starting at the end of June. Although Bumrah has previously captained India to a Test win in Australia and led in a couple of other matches, the selectors are leaning towards someone who’s expected to be available for the entire five-match series. Due to workload management, Bumrah might not play all five Tests.
A BCCI source said, “We need a vice-captain who will be part of the entire series.”. “Since Bumrah might miss a few games, we don’t want to keep switching deputies. It’s more practical to have consistent leadership throughout.”
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Jasprit Bumrah’s Leadership Role Uncertain for England Tour
The selectors are looking for a young player to groom as a future leader and appoint as vice-captain. From the nucleus of the current team, only two fit the category, Shubman Gill (25) and Rishabh Pant (27). Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and K.L. Rahul are all in their 30s, while selectors consider Yashasvi Jaiswal too young at 23.
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The BCCI is also cautious about Bumrah’s history with injuries. He picked up a back injury during the New Year’s Test in Sydney, which sidelined him for three months and kept him out of the Champions Trophy. He also missed the first half of the IPL. Bumrah’s back has been a recurring issue — back in 2022, he underwent surgery for a stress-related back injury that kept him out for almost 11 months, including the T20 World Cup in Australia. Over the years, he’s also dealt with abdominal strains and finger injuries that have forced him to miss several games. India’s Test series against England begins on June 20, with the final match wrapping up on July 31.
Former coach Ravi Shastri, under whom Bumrah blossomed in Tests, has stressed on giving him adequate time for recovery during the series. “I would be very, very careful (with Bumrah). I would give him two Test matches at a time and then wait for the break,” he told the ICC Review.
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