"Virat Kohli has opted out for personal reasons while being captain" - Sanjay Manjrekar names Rohit Sharma's successor in ENG vs IND 2025 series

Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Jasprit Bumrah's workload management should not sideline him from India's Test captaincy race. The former India cricketer pointed out that Virat Kohli also opted out of a few matches in the past while being the skipper.

He also highlighted that Rohit Sharma also missed a couple of games during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 Test series against Australia during his captaincy tenure. Emphasizing that Bumrah's availability issues should not come in the way of the leadership role, Manjrekar said in an Instagram video:

"Rohit Sharma missed two Test matches in Australia recently as captain. Virat Kohli has opted out of the Indian team for personal reasons while being captain. So why is the availability, whether it's injury or any other reason being used against Jasprit Bumrah? I just feel that's wrong."

It is worth mentioning that India will be without Sharma and Kohli for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC 2025-27) cycle. The two senior players announced their retirements from red-ball cricket earlier this month.

Bumrah has led India in three Tests as stand-in captain, which includes a six-wicket victory over Australia at Perth in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year.

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"If he's fit for half a Test match, make him the captain" - Sanjay Manjrekar believes Jasprit Bumrah is the best option for India's Test captaincy

In the same video, Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Jasprit Bumrah should be made the Test captain even if he wasn't going to play in all five games of the England tour.

He reckoned that even if Bumrah was fit to play just a half Test, he should be given the crucial position. The cricketer-turned-commentator remarked:

"I just feel from all angles that you think about, it's just bizarre that we are looking beyond Jasprit Bumrah as India's Test captain for the England tour. If he's fit for two Test matches, you make Bumrah the captain for those two Test matches. If he's fit for half a Test match, make him the captain."

The five-match Test series between India and England begins at Headingley, Leeds, on June 20.