“No brainer:” Rohit Sharma dropped, former Indian star gives clear verdict on next Test captain

There is a big question mark over who will be the captain of India when they play Test cricket next time (against England in June). While Rohit Sharma is struggling with poor form, he has not yet given up or been stripped of the Test captaincy. On the other hand, vice-captain fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has arguably been India's best performer, and led the team in the only Test they won against Australia. Former Indian cricketer turned pundit Sanjay Manjrekar has only the answer to this question in his mind.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar said, “It is not a big deal for me. The next Test series is in England and the Test captain has to be Jasprit Bumrah.”

Manjrekar gave several reasons why Bumrah should be made the permanent Test captain.

“As a batsman Rohit Sharma has not performed well enough considering the loss to New Zealand at home, also he decided to drop out of the playing eleven as he was not fit in it. A lot of uncertainties around him And I think Bumrah is at the top among them.” game. There was nothing in the Australia series that we saw that made him not worthy of captaincy,'' argued Manjrekar.

Manjrekar simply said, “Pick your marquee series and make Bumrah the captain among them. When he is unfit or missing, we will think about who will lead the team next.”

After the Australia tour, Bumrah's stature as a leader has increased rapidly. Not only was he captain in the only Test India won, but Bumrah led by example, taking 32 wickets in five Test matches and was awarded 'Player of the Series' despite India losing 3–1.

Amid the ongoing debate over India's next Test captain, Bumrah is reportedly also set to become India's vice-captain in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.