Former head coach Ravi Shastri gets candid and opens up about India’s ongoing Test captaincy debate following the retirement of senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He also mentioned two young players who could be groomed for the future.
Speaking with host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of The ICC Review, Shastri talked about potential captaincy contenders, emphasizing that selectors should focus on long-term prospects and avoid placing the leadership responsibility on India’s pacer, Jasprit Bumrah.
“See, for me, Jasprit would have been the obvious choice after Australia. But I do not want Jasprit to be made captain and then you lose him as a bowler,” said Shastri
Bumrah has captained India in three matches, winning only one in Perth. He lost the other two matches, which were against England and Australia, both away from home.
Shastri pointed to Bumrah’s recent back injury, which he suffered during the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy match in Sydney.The 31-year-old was ruled out for nearly three months, from early January to April, and was also unavailable for India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.
“I think he (Bumrah) has to take his body one game at a time. He is coming back now after a serious injury. He will 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.” Shastri added
Shastri backed Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant as strong contenders for the captaincy role, highlighting their age and potential for long-term leadership as the main reasons behind his preference.
“You groom somebody, and I would say Shubman’s looked very good. Give him the opportunity. He is 25, 26 years of age, even give him time. There is Rishabh as well. I think these two are the obvious ones I am looking at because of their age, and they have a decade ahead of them. So, let them learn,” he added.
The post ‘I do not want Jasprit to be made captain…’: Ravi Shastri gets candid about his top two choices or Test captaincy appeared first on Cricket Country.
