Shubman Gill being appointed as India’s Test captain meant that pacer Jasprit Bumrah missed out. Bumrah – the No. 1 ranked Test bowler in the world as per the ICC rankings – was not considered due to his injury-prone nature and concerns over fitness and workload. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Bumrah is likely to play no more than three Tests in the upcoming five-match series against England in June. However, despite these reasons, former India cricketer and renowned expert Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his disappointment at Bumrah not being considered for captaincy.
“What I found strange about the selection was the captain’s choice. I just failed to understand why Bumrah was not even considered,” Manjrekar said, speaking on ESPNcricinfo.
Manjrekar stated that Bumrah not being available for all Tests being cited as the reason to not make him captain did not apply to previous captains like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma.
“The reason for that was his likelihood of not playing the entire series. We’ve had Rohit Sharma, who recently captained India and played only three of the five test matches. We had Virat Kohli in the past opting out of test matches and not playing the full series. But still, the captain,” Manjrekar stated.
While announcing an 18-member squad for the England tour here on Saturday, India’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said Bumrah does not have the clearance from the medical staff and physios to feature in all five Tests of the series starting in Leeds on June 20.
“I don’t think he’s available for all five Tests going by what the physios and the doctors have told us,” Agarkar said when asked if Bumrah was available for the entire series.
India’s over-reliance on Bumrah during their last tour of Australia, where he took 32 wickets in a little under five Tests, forced the ace pacer to limp out of the fifth and final match in Sydney and spend another three months recovering from a back-related trouble.
Bumrah had won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year as well as the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year in 2024 for his exemplary performances across formats.
With 11 wickets, Bumrah played a vital role in India’s title-winning run in the T20 World Cup in the Americas in 2024, and he finished with a rich haul of 71 wickets in only 13 Tests last year.
But towards the end of a successful run, Bumrah was forced to push his limits as a bowler while being the stand-in captain in Australia. Given the incredible workload, he crumbled eventually and even admitted to it during the Melbourne Test.
With PTI inputs
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