BCCI look for options for the new captaincy candidates in whites, These two Stars are the front runners

Although it is rumoured that Jasprit will take over from Rohit Sharma as the next captain in Tests, his frequent physical injury issues should not guarantee his stay as a captain. The latest is a back spasm/aches suffered some days back during training sessions, making his participation in the ICC Champions Trophy doubtful. There may be chances at least for the Champions Trophy, treatment is on and it appears a swelling there, but according to the bigger picture, can one make sure about him as the permanent Test captain after Rohit, whose days in whites without doubt are over now?

When Bumrah is deemed fit and ready for the leadership of the Test side in England, the selectors will definitely need to have a strong name as vice-captain so that in case such an unfortunate thing as mentioned before happens to the team, he is there to take charge.

Currently, in Tests, only two fit the bill-Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the more popular of the two.

Issues related to Bumrah’s lower back are now coming to the open as the two sides are holding a meeting with Agarkar, at the helm, and head coach Gautam Gambhir, as well as Rohit most likely up to next year.

Nevertheless, it is almost for sure that Rohit will miss that plane to England for a five-Test series because, definitely, the 31-year-old Bumrah will lead the team in the first Test, played at Headingley if all goes well after the said meeting up to Sunday.

In 203 matches, he already has 443 international wickets. With that, Jasprit Bumrah captained India in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth and Sydney and received several significant awards. He was the highest wicket-taker by an Indian in foreign conditions with 32 wickets during the series.

Debilitating back spasms during the final Test were also seen as a toe injury. It did not enable him to bowl in India’s second innings and now he is slated for a spell at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru before looking at the Champions Trophy.

The nature of the back problems raises questions over whether Bumrah can sustain himself over a longer period of time, considering the formidable workload of spearheading the Indian side’s pace attack in Tests while also being required-ed for white-ball ICC events.

The only guessing element here is that, before his retirement, Bumrah might break down once more in the next World Test Championship cycle with events slated to occur from June 2025 to June 2027.

A more instantaneous Plan B may now easily be prepared by the selectors so that another solid leadership candidate becomes available to groom as the vice-captain.

“To me, Test cricket is a very, very straightforward way. You look at your data; who is a dead sure Test player? He’s played 45 Tests, Pant has played 43 Tests. He is 27 now and when he was 23, he actually won, single-handedly, one of the greatest Tests India has had at the Gabba,” the former national selector said. “He is a match-winner, a good sounding board for bowlers and should be the vice-captain.”

Deep Dasgupta, an ex-India wicketkeeper, also doesn’t believe that Bumrah is a long-term answer to who captains the Tests as his bowling loads do not permit.

However, the most important thing is the transitional phase of marquee series like England, wherein India plays a lot of cricket followed by England in the same summer and the player will find himself playing one day of 5 Tests. Between Tests, on the ICC calendar, you throw something such as a Champions Trophy with Bumrah having to play. This year will again be the Champions Trophy and the next year it will be the T20 World Cup. He somehow manages it by not playing so much arrangement during bilaterals but towards the…

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