Not Shubman Gill, Sunil Gavaskar wants BGT hero as India's new Test captain in ENG vs IND 2025 series

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has picked Jasprit Bumrah over Shubman Gill to become the new skipper of the red-ball side following Rohit Sharma’s retirement. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that Bumrah’s leadership will only help him maintain his workload, thereby preventing unnecessary injuries.

The 76-year-old reiterated that giving him captaincy will be a blessing in disguise for the fast bowler and the team.

Gavaskar told Sports Today (via NDTV):

“Who better to know what is the workload for himself than himself? If you appoint somebody else, they would always want an extra over from Bumrah. If he is your No. 1 bowler, he will himself know that 'yes, this is the time I must take a break'. To me, it has to be Jasprit Bumrah only. I know all these kind of speculation going around his workload and all that. Give it to him so that he knows how many overs to bowl, when to take him off, when to sort of rest. That would be the best thing.”

“He (Bumrah) may not have to miss a Test match. If you give it to him, he might know when to stop before his body starts to crumble. For me, give it to him. After the first Test, there is an eight-day gap. There's enough time to recover. Then, there are two back-to-back Test matches. That's fine. There's then another gap. If you give him the captaincy, he will be the best person to know when to bowl,” he added.

The remarks come months after Bumrah sustained an injury during the fifth Test against Australia during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The 31-year-old didn’t come out to bowl during the second innings due to a back injury.

Overs bowled by Indian pacers in 2024-25 BGT:

1. Jasprit Bumrah -32 wickets in 151.2 overs
2. Mohammed Siraj – 20 scalps in 157.1 overs
3. Akash Deep – five wickets in 77.5 overs
4. Prasidh Krishna – six wickets in 40 overs
5. Nitish Reddy – five scalps in 44 overs

As a skipper, Jasprit Bumrah bowled 40 overs in the Test series, including 30 in the series opener in Perth, the only game where India won in the five-match Test series.

Jasprit Bumrah not interested in leading India in Tests – Reports

As per Sky Sports, Jasprit Bumrah has ruled himself out of the race to become India’s next Test captain. The report added that the pacer can’t commit to play all five Tests to manage his workload.

As a result, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are front-runners to lead India in the longest format. The duo has significant experience leading their respective IPL franchises in a completely different format.