‘Shocking’ Jasprit Bumrah snub leaves Agarkar battered over India selection: ‘Then choose your vice-captain carefully'

When Rohit Sharma was announced as the Test captain three years back, Jasprit Bumrah was named among the players who could potentially take over the reins in the future. The fast bowler instantly became a certainty in the race after he was named as the captain in the rescheduled Birmingham Test against England in 2022. Two years later, in November, in Perth, Bumrah led India to their only win on a rather forgettable 2024/25 Australia tour. Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to become the next India Test captain(AFP)

When the speculation over Rohit's future in Test cricket began in the wake of the loss in the Border-Gavaskar series, Bumrah was strongly backed by experts to be the next captain. Yet when the 37-year-old eventually drew curtains on his Test career on May 7, Shubman Gill led the narrative in who would become the next skipper, with media reports hinting that he had the backing of the BCCI.

The reports indicated Bumrah did make a strong case for himself to replace Rohit, but injury struggles saw him fall behind in the race. However, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar lashed out at the narrative as he questioned the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee's logic behind naming Bumrah the vice-captain for the Australia tour, when he was not in the race to become the next skipper.

"I am shocked that we are looking at any other option other than Bumrah as Test captain! Worried about his injuries? Then choose your vice captain carefully," he tweeted.

Bumrah also has Gavaskar, Ashwin's backing

It's not just Manjrekar, India legends Sunil Gavaskar and Ravichandran Ashwin also reckon the fast bowler should be the next captain.

"The team that will tour England will be a completely new team, a transformed team where Bumrah will probably be the senior-most player. He is obviously one of the captaincy options; I think he deserves the captaincy, but the selectors will make a decision based on his physical capacity," Ashwin said on his YouTube show 'Ash Ki Baat'.

Gavaskar, speaking to Sports Today, dismissed workload concerns around the injury-prone pacer, as he put his weight behind Bumrah.

"Jasprit Bumrah for me... if you appoint somebody else, they will always want an extra over from Bumrah because he's your number one bowler capable of taking a wicket any time, you want that extra over.

"But Bumrah being the captain himself would know that 'look, this is the time that I must take a break. Yes, I've got a wicket in my previous over but my body says to me that I need a break'," he explained his reasons.

"So for me, it's got to be Bumrah only. I know there's kind of speculation going on about workload, but give it to him so he knows exactly how many overs to bowl, when to take himself off, when to sort of rest. So that would be the best thing," he said.

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