Former coach Ravi Shastri has commented on the ongoing debate over India’s next Test captain after the recent retirement of long-time captain Rohit Sharma from the format as well. However, Shastri discussed this with host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of The ICC Review, urging selectors to prioritise the future and not burden India’s speedster Jasprit Bumrah with captaincy as well.
“See for me, Jasprit would have been the obvious choice after Australia,” Shastri said. “But I don’t want Jasprit to be made captain and then you lose him as a bowler.”
He also opined on Jasprit Bumrah’s recent struggle with a back injury sustained in the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy match in Sydney as well. However, Bumrah was out of action for nearly three months from early January until April, also missing out on India’s victorious ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign as well.
“I think he (Bumrah) has to take his body one game at a time. He’s coming back now after a serious injury,” Shastri noted. “He’ll have played IPL cricket, which is four-over cricket. Now will come the test of bowling 10 overs, 15 overs. And the last thing you want is some pressure on his mind being captain as well.”
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Rather than adding strain to Bumrah, Shastri backed Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant as potential players to take over the captaincy, with their age and longevity the key factors as well.
“You groom somebody and I would say Shubman’s looked very good. Give him the opportunity. He’s 25, 26 years of age, even give him time,” Shastri said. “There’s Rishabh as well. I think these two are the obvious ones I’m looking at because of their age and they have a decade ahead of them. So, let them learn.”
Ravi Shastri also opined on the fact that with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s recent retirement from Test cricket, India need to look forward to the future as well. Notably, both Gill and Pant are captaining their franchises (Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans) in the Indian Premier League as well.
“They’ve got experience as captains, now, captaining their franchise and that makes a difference,” Shastri noted. “The little I’ve seen of Shubman looks very interesting. Composed, calm, he has all the qualities.”
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He also quashed concerns over Shubman Gill’s form overseas.
“You people will talk he’s not scored runs overseas. You know, that topic always comes, not scored runs overseas. Sometimes I tell them, go and see your own record, how much have you done overseas? Overseas, overseas, let him play, let him get a run overseas, then he’ll score runs. He’s a class player. He has a decade of cricket ahead of him for the country. And I’m sure he’ll get cracking in one of the tours, he’ll make up for all those runs he’s not got on earlier,” Ravi Shastri concluded.
