Do not want Jasprit Bumrah to be made India’s Test captain: Ravi Shastri

Do not want Jasprit Bumrah to be made India’s Test captain: Ravi Shastri (Source: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from Test cricket recently, India faces a leadership void in the red-ball format. Former head coach Ravi Shastri has opened up on the suitable successor, naming two youngsters, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, as his top contenders to lead India in the red-ball format.

Shastri mentioned the need for a forward-looking approach. He advised against giving the captaincy to ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, citing injury concerns and the need to prioritize bowling. The former revealed that Bumrah is still recovering from a serious back injury, which he suffered in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and needs to manage his workload carefully.

“See, for me, Jasprit would have been the obvious choice after Australia. But I do not want Jasprit to be made captain, and then you lose him as a bowler. I think he (Bumrah) has to take his body one game at a time. He is coming back now after a serious injury. He will 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,” Shastri said while speaking on The ICC Review with Sanjana Ganesan.

The former all-rounder believes India must groom somebody for the long-term future, and he sees Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant as ideal candidates, considering their age and what they bring to the table.

“You groom somebody, and I would say Shubman’s looked very good. Give him the opportunity. He is 25 years of age, and even give him time. There is Rishabh as well. I think these two are the obvious ones I am looking at because of their age, and they have a decade ahead of them. So, let them learn,” he added.

Both Gill and Pant have decent leadership experience, having captained their respective IPL franchises, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants. Gill, currently the No.1 ranked ODI batter, has often been criticized for his performances in overseas conditions, but Shastri slammed the critics.

“They have got experience as captains, now, captaining their franchise, and that makes a difference. The little I have seen of Shubman looks very interesting. Composed, calm – he has all the qualities. You people will talk, he has not scored runs overseas. That topic always comes, not scored runs overseas. Sometimes I tell them, go and see your own record, how much have you done overseas? Overseas, overseas, let him play, let him get a run overseas, then he’ll score runs. He’s a class player,” concluded Shastri.

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