Ravi Shastri warns making Bumrah Indian test captain could cost India its ace pacer

As team India prepares for a new era in Test cricket following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the longest format, former head coach Ravi Shastri has made his stance clear: Jasprit Bumrah should not be burdened with the captaincy.

While Bumrah emerged as a fan-favorite to take over the leadership after an impressive showing during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25, Shastri believes appointing the star pacer as skipper could jeopardize his longevity as India’s premier fast bowler.

“Jasprit would have been the obvious choice after Australia,” Shastri told the ICC. “But I don’t want Jasprit to be made captain and then you lose him as a bowler.”

Citing concerns over Bumrah’s fitness and workload — particularly after his recent return from a serious injury — Shastri emphasized the need for cautious management.

“He has to take his body one game at a time. He's coming off a major injury. IPL is four-over cricket, but now he’ll have to bowl 10-15 overs per spell. The last thing you want is the added mental load of captaincy,” he added.

With Bumrah reportedly having ruled himself out of the leadership race, attention has shifted to younger talents like Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant—both of whom have recent captaincy experience in the IPL.

Shastri, advocating for a long-term leadership plan, endorsed grooming the next Test leader rather than opting for a short-term fix.

“You groom somebody, and I would say Shubman’s looked very good. Give him the opportunity. He’s 25, 26 — he’s got time,” Shastri said.
“There’s Rishabh as well. These two are obvious picks. Let them grow. They’ve got franchise captaincy experience now, and that matters.”

The BCCI is expected to name the new Test captain during the squad selection for India’s five-match Test series against England, starting June 20.