Shubman Gill was appointed new India Test captain, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy.
Sanjay Manjrekar, former India cricketer, remained puzzled as the BCCI selectors decided to name Shubman Gill as the new India Test captain and decided to snub the pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the job. The 18-member team was revealed on Saturday by selectors chairman Ajit Agarkar.
Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian batsman, is not happy, though, because he believes Jasprit Bumrah ought to have been named the next Test captain.
In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah took the lead in Rohit Sharma's absence, and India even won the first game of the series in Perth when he was captain. There has been discussion of wrapping Bumrah in cotton wool ever since the pacer suffered a back spasm in Sydney.
During the news conference, Ajit Agarkar stated that Bumrah would not play in all five Test matches against England since his workload would be managed by the management and physiotherapists.
However, Manjrekar believes that since Bumrah is the only "genuinely great player" in the current India team, he was the best choice to be named captain.
“What I found strange about the selection was the captain's choice. I just failed to understand why Bumrah was not even considered. The reason for that was his likelihood of not playing the entire series. We've had Rohit Sharma, who recently captained India and played only three of the five test matches. We had Virat Kohli in the past opting out of test matches and not playing the full series. But still, the captain,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.
“Bumrah's injury is an issue. You've got to realise he's the only senior and, at this stage, a genuinely great player in this test team. So, worst case scenario, if you had Bumrah for two test matches, you want to start with Bumrah as your captain. I mean, I just can't understand why you wouldn't think like that,” he added.
Shubman Gill, who is frequently criticized for his performances in Test matches played abroad, now faces a formidable obstacle. Who he is able to unite the soldiers around without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is still up in the air.
Gill's deputy will be Rishabh Pant. Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, and Sai Sudharsan have all been picked up to the England tour squad.
“Now you have to go to Shubman Gill, who still has to find his feet in English and Australian conditions. That's just too much burden. I mean, it was a no-brainer for me that Bumrah is your captain. And then while he's captaining, and if he doesn't play the third test match, your captain-in-waiting, who's the vice-captain, whoever that is, is slowly sort of introduced into the team. So, I think it's just too much thinking and not doing the obvious,” he added.
The five-Test series between India and England will begin on June 20 and will be played across Leeds, Edgbaston, Lord's Cricket Ground, Manchester, and Oval.