‘Bumrah would have been an obvious choice but then you lose…’ Shastri on India’s new Test captain
Shastri said Bumrah should take one game at a time, and with India due to face England in the five-match away Tests, expecting Bumrah to play all five games would be harsh on him. Sports, Cricket
Former India coach Ravi Shastri is the latest to talk about Team India’s next Test captain. After veteran opener Rohit Sharma announced his Test retirement, the BCCI selectors and the coach are working on zeroing in on his successor, with plenty of options discussed; ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah is one of them, but Shastri feels his selection as the Test captain would come with some repercussions.
Bumrah led India in Tests thrice before, winning one and losing two matches. In Rohit’s absence from two games on India’s previous away tour (against Australia in Down Under), Bumrah was the captain for the series opener in Perth and in the final one at the SCG. While India won in Perth, they lost three of the four remaining matches, including in Sydney, where Bumrah left the field early on day two due to back stiffness.
Also read | No Gill, Rahul or Pant as Ravi Ashwin throws weight behind ‘seasoned duo’ for India’s Test captaincy
It, however, remains the biggest worry for the selectors should they pick Bumrah to lead the side in the whites.
Shastri also echoed the exact sentiments.
“See, for me, Jasprit would have been the obvious choice after Australia,” Shastri said, speaking on the ICC Review.
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“But, I don’t want Jasprit to be made captain, and then you lose him as a bowler.”
Shastri added that Bumrah should take one game at a time, and with India due to face England in the five-match away Tests, expecting Bumrah to play all five games would be harsh on him.
“I think he (Bumrah) has to take his body one game at a time. He's coming back now after a serious injury," Shastri noted. “He'll have played IPL cricket, which is four-over cricket. Now will come the test of bowling 10 overs, 15 overs. And the last thing you want is some pressure on his mind being captain as well.”
If not Bumrah, then who else leads India's Test captaincy race?
Bumrah was the obvious choice, at least, until the BGT ended in January this year; however, growing concerns about his regular injuries and thoughts of prolonging his Test career and somewhere restricted the selectors in naming him as Rohit’s replacement straight away.
Reflecting on who could be Rohit’s successor, if not Bumrah, Shastri said, “You groom somebody, and I would say Shubman’s looked very good. Give him the opportunity. He's 25, 26 years of age, even give him time.
“There's Rishabh as well. I think these two are the obvious ones I'm looking at because of their age, and they have a decade ahead of them. So, let them learn,” he continued.