Ex-India selection committee chairman explains why Bumrah will be an ideal candidate over Gill and Rahul to lead in England Test series after Rohit's retirement

Ex-India selection committee chairman explains why Bumrah will be an ideal candidate over Gill and Rahul to lead in England Test series after Rohit's retirement
Jasprit Bumrah (R) and Captain Rohit Sharma (L) of Team India seen during a net practice session ahead of the fifth cricket Test match between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

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MSK Prasad wants Jasprit Bumrah to lead India in Tests.

India vs England five Test match series is scheduled to start from June 20.

Former India selection committee chairman MSK Prasad believes that speedster Jasprit Bumrah should lead the Men in Blue in their upcoming five-Test match series against England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce new captain for the upcoming red-ball series against England because skipper Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from the longest format of the game. 

There are speculations that young batter Shubman Gill will be Rohit's successor to lead the side in England. However, MSK Prasand believes that Bumrah should lead the side because the fast bowler is the ideal candidate to lead India in red-ball cricket.

Rohit's sudden retirement has left the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, with very little time to decide on the new leadership group. As Sports Tak earlier reported, the BCCI will announce the India squad for the Test series before the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. 

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After Rohit's retirement, there are reports that legendary speedster Jasprit Bumrah is currently in contention to become vice captain, and the management wants someone capable of playing all five Tests in England to serve as Rohit’s successor. There are concerns over risking Bumrah for the whole series. During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia, Bumrah played the first four Tests of the five-match series before pulling out of the series finale in Sydney midway through the match due to injury. However, Bumrah impressed as captain, leading India to their only win in the tour in Perth.

MSK Prasad believes that India has KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Shubman Gill as three options for Test captain. He further explained why Bumrah is the right candidate to lead in England despite his injury concerns. He also urged the selectors to appoint Gill as his deputy to groom him as the next captain. 
 

“Why not, man? Why not? Since he’s fit now, why not?” Prasad told IndiaToday, when asked if Bumrah is still in contention for the captaincy.

 

“You have three choices right now: Bumrah, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul. These are the three options. If you’re looking at Bumrah, he will obviously play both cycles—this one and the next—so there’s nothing wrong.

 

“And whatever opportunities he’s had to lead, he’s done extremely well,” Prasad added.

 

The upcoming five-Test match series against England is scheduled to start from June 20. This will be India's first red-ball assignment after five-Test match series against Australia.