Shubman Gill being appointed as India’s Test captain meant that pacer Jasprit Bumrah missed out. Bumrah – the No. 1 ranked Test bowler on the planet as per the ICC rankings – was not thought-about because of his injury-prone nature and issues over health and workload. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Bumrah is more likely to play not more than three Tests within the upcoming five-match collection in opposition to England in June. However, regardless of these causes, former India cricketer and famend knowledgeable Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his disappointment at Bumrah not being thought-about for captaincy.
“What I found strange about the selection was the captain’s choice. I just failed to understand why Bumrah was not even considered,” Manjrekar stated, talking on ESPNcricinfo.
Manjrekar acknowledged that Bumrah not being obtainable for all Tests being cited as the explanation to not make him captain didn’t apply to earlier captains like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma.
“The reason for that was his likelihood of not playing the entire series. We’ve had Rohit Sharma, who recently captained India and played only three of the five test matches. We had Virat Kohli in the past opting out of test matches and not playing the full series. But still, the captain,” Manjrekar acknowledged.
While asserting an 18-member squad for the England tour right here on Saturday, India’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar stated Bumrah doesn’t have the clearance from the medical workers and physios to characteristic in all 5 Tests of the collection beginning in Leeds on June 20.
“I don’t think he’s available for all five Tests going by what the physios and the doctors have told us,” Agarkar stated when requested if Bumrah was obtainable for all the collection.
India’s over-reliance on Bumrah throughout their final tour of Australia, the place he took 32 wickets in a bit underneath 5 Tests, pressured the ace pacer to limp out of the fifth and closing match in Sydney and spend one other three months recovering from a back-related hassle.
Bumrah had gained the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in addition to the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year in 2024 for his exemplary performances throughout codecs.
With 11 wickets, Bumrah performed a significant position in India’s title-winning run within the T20 World Cup within the Americas in 2024, and he completed with a wealthy haul of 71 wickets in solely 13 Tests final 12 months.
But in the direction of the top of a profitable run, Bumrah was pressured to push his limits as a bowler whereas being the stand-in captain in Australia. Given the unbelievable workload, he crumbled finally and even admitted to it throughout the Melbourne Test.
With PTI inputs
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