I called BCCI and said I don't want to be India's Test captain: Jasprit Bumrah rejected the offer, Shubman Gill took it

Hindustan Times

7 hours ago

Jasprit Bumrah finally broke his silence on India's Test captaincy and revealed that he was the first-choice of the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, but he had turned it down because of workload. Shubman Gill was named as India's Test captain for the England tour after Rohit Sharma retired from red-ball cricket, followed by Virat Kohli. Bumrah, who was vice-captain of the Test team and even led the team in three Tests (one in England and two in Australia) in Rohit's absence, should ideally have been the successor, but the back injury that he suffered in the Sydney Test in Australia changed everything.
In an interview with former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik for SKY Sports, Bumrah shared he had spoken to BCCI officials and the selectors about his workload even before Rohit and Kohli announced their Test retirements last month. He had to make the hard decision of letting the captaincy go, as the doctors and physios advised him to be smart with his body to prolong his career.
"Before Rohit and Virat retired during the IPL, I had spoken to the BCCI about my workloads going forward in a five-test match series. I've spoken to the people who have managed my back. I've spoken to the surgeon as well, who's always spoken to me about how smart you have to be about the workloads. So I did speak to him, and then we came to the conclusion that I have to be a little smarter. So then I called the BCCI and said I don't want to be looked at in a leadership role because I won't be able to give all the Test matches in a five-test match series," Bumrah said.
India's pace spearhead added that he did not want the Indian side to be in a situation where there were two captains in one Test series.
"Yes, the BCCI was looking at me for leadership. But then I had to say, no, that it's not fair for the team as well, that, you know, a five-Test match series, three matches, somebody else is leading, two matches, somebody else is leading. It's not fair to the team. And I always wanted to put the team first," he added.
Bumrah missed the Champions Trophy and the first couple of weeks of IPL due to the back injury that he suffered in the last Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Notably, this was the second time that he went through a stress injury on his back. The first time it occurred, he was forced out of action for more than a year.
Bumrah said he can offer more to the team's success as a player than just being the captain.
"Even if me being there as a player offers a lot more, just not as a captain. The captaincy is a post, but you always have leaders in the team. And I wanted to do that."
Widely rated as the best fast bowler going around in world cricket, Bumrah said he does not want to be in a situation where he pushes his body to a stage where he can't play three formats regularly.
"If I'm not careful, I don't know about the future and I don't want to be in a situation where, you know, abruptly I have to go away from this format. So I thought that for continuity, and it is only fair to the team, that you know, the team goes in that direction where they look at long term, and I could help in whatever way I can. But yeah, captaincy meant a lot. I had worked very hard for it. But unfortunately, sometimes you have to look after the bigger picture. I love cricket more than captaincy. So I want to contribute more as a cricketer and to the Indian team as a player. Then, you know, ambitions are there, but that's how it is. And I called the BCCI and I said that I don't want to be looked at in a leadership role."