Jasprit Bumrah to miss England Test leadership, as BCCI prioritizes fitness over vice-captaincy

Jasprit Bumrah, India’s key pacer, will not be assigned any leadership role in the upcoming Test series against England. In the recent developments, the BCCI has decided to exclude him from leadership roles and will likely assign the responsibility to someone who can be available for all the matches. The decision comes in light of Bumrah’s extended injury layoff and the need to manage his workload carefully.  Prioritizing his fitness and recovery, the BCCI has chosen to avoid placing additional responsibilities on him during the crucial series.

India’s fast bowling figurehead and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to be given a leadership role on the Test tour to England starting June-end, sources in the BCCI told The Indian Express. “We want a player who will be available for all five Test matches and he should be given the vice-captain’s role. Bumrah won’t be playing all five matches, so we don’t want to appoint different deputies for different games. It will be better that the captain and vice-captain should be certain and play all five Tests,” the sources said.

No leadership for Jasprit Bumrah in Test series vs England

Jasprit Bumrah, who will be a key player for the Men In Blue, has been kept away from the leadership duties, and he will not be the vice captain for the upcoming series against England. Bumrah is most likely to miss a few matches of the test series to ensure proper rest and workload management, and looking into the same, BCCI has opted to keep him away from the leadership role. Rohit Sharma will lead the team in the upcoming Test series against England. After the IPL Conclusion, Team India is set to tour England for a total of five test match series, which will begin on June 20, 2025.

As per the reports on Bumrah’s replacement, BCCI is looking for a long-term leader and is looking for someone young who holds the potential to lead the team.  Amongst such circumstances, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill could be those players from the current set of players for whom the role can be offered. Although Yashasvi Jaiswal can also be the one, he is too young for the job.

Shastri’s advice to the team management

Former head coach Ravi Shastri also weighed in on Bumrah’s participation. Speaking to ICC Review, he advised a careful approach. “You have to be very cautious with Bumrah. Play him in two Tests and then give him a break. Four Tests would be ideal. If he starts off brilliantly, you may want to play him in all five, but his physical response is key. If he feels even a minor discomfort, he should be given the option to rest,” Shastri said.