'It has to be...': Sunil Gavaskar backs THIS star player to lead Team India in England tour

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar voiced his opinion on the next Indian Test team captain as they are set to play England in a five-match Test series. Starting on June 20, India will start the latest World Test Championship (WTC) cycle under a new reign, with Rohit Sharma announcing his Test retirement last week. While several players are front-runners for the now-vacant role, Gavaskar’s statement has put weight behind a veteran star.

Gavaskar backs THIS veteran

"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 Jasprit 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," Gavaskar said.

Bumrah has been instrumental in India’s recent success, having helped them win the T20 World Cup in 2024. He also played a key role when India reached the ODI World Cup final in 2023 before losing to Australia.

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Interestingly, the veteran star led India in Rohit’s absence during India’s last Test match in England. With Rohit ruled out due to COVID-19 in July 2022, it was Bumrah who took charge of the side.

Shubman Gill is another front-runner for the captaincy role, having gained experience in recent months. He has been the Gujarat Titans’ captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and was also India’s captain during the Zimbabwe tour in July 2024. Yashasvi Jaiswal remains another name on the table, but with no experience and backing, he is likely to miss out on the captaincy role.