Despite worries about the pacer's workload, Indian cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar has endorsed Jasprit Bumrah to succeed as India's next Test captain. With India set to begin a five-match away Test series against England on June 20, Gavaskar's comments coincide with the selectors' preparation to identify Rohit Sharma's replacement.
The leadership role is up for grabs since Virat Kohli and Rohit are retiring from Test cricket. Due to his recent performances and composed leadership style, Bumrah, who has already captained India in the red-ball format, has been a strong contender.
According to Gavaskar, Bumrah is best suited to controlling his workload and making judgments on the field that suit his physical needs because he is a quick bowler.
"Who better to know what the workload is 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 kinds of speculation are going around about his workload and all that. Give it to him so that he knows how many overs to bowl, when to take him off, and when to sort of rest. That would be the best thing," Gavaskar was quoted by India Today.
"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.
Bumrah has captained India thrice, once against England in 2022 in Birmingham and then again during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 in Perth and Sydney.
Recent reports, however, indicate that Bumrah might have disqualified himself from consideration for the position by pointing to the workload management challenge of committing to all five tests.
According to reports, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill are now being considered by the selectors as the top contenders for the job. Prior to the tournament's suspension, Gill, who is currently the vice-captain of white-ball cricket, made an impression with his leadership for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025.
Gavaskar is adamant that Bumrah should be given the responsibility in spite of everything. Giving him the Pacer captaincy, in his opinion, would enable him to better assess when to press and when to back off, benefiting the squad as a whole.
