There is a whole discussion about the next Indian Test captain; there are reports that Shubman Gill may be the front-runner, but Manjrekar backs Jasprit Bumrah, even with the injuries issues in the past. “And why is Bumrah left out of the captaincy talk? Has Bumrah said he won’t captain India? Or has he ruled himself out of the England series? Then why are we discussing who will captain India?” he posted on social media.
If Bumrah’s availability because of injuries is the issue, didn’t we have Rohit captain India in just 3 off the 5 Tests in Aus recently? Availability can’t be the be all & end all, deservability far more important. Especially in Tests. 🙏
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 18, 2025
This is the effect that Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement has brought-in: an identity crisis in leadership. Gill and Bumrah are seen as the two top contenders; much of the preference is towards Gill for his ability to stay fit. But Manjrekar feels it is unfair not to consider Bumrah simply on account of him having some injury past. He added that even Rohit’s leadership on India’s tour of Australia was kind of affected by matters of fitness, as he only captained in three out of five Tests. According to Manjrekar, if Rohit was capable of captaining in those circumstances, then Bumrah should be considered as well.
At 25, the young Gill has shown enough talent to take the Gujarat Titans all the way to the top of the IPL stand. Meanwhile, Bumrah, who is already 31 years old, has worn the captain’s hat quite a few times for India, including versus England in a 2022 Test as well as in a part of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia; unfortunately, his fitness is still under scrutiny allegedly due to his recent back surgery.
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Chiefly because England and India are set to face each other from June 20 to August 4, the captaincy issue is gaining momentum, and Manjrekar is actively raising his voice in support of Bumrah, proclaiming that it should not be only fitness which decides India’s captain.
