"Has Jasprit Bumrah said he Won't Captain India?"- Deliberate rift being created with Shubman Gill

Former Indian player Sanjay Manjrekar added some spice to the debate over India’s next Test skipper. Some reports suggested that Shubman Gill is the front-runner to become India’s new Test skipper.

Manjrekar backed Jasprit Bumrah for the leadership role despite some former players picking Gill over Bumrah because of Bumrah’s injury record in the past.

Sanjay Manjrekar’s comment on Jasprit Bumrah

Manjrekar changed the perspective in the context of not making Jasprit Bumrah as next Test captain. Manjrekar took the whole issue from a different point of view as he pointed out that ‘Has Bumrah said he won’t captain India?’

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Former players were raising questions about Bumrah’s fitness, who are supporting Gill over Bumrah, and others are questioning Gill’s performance in overseas Tests, who are supporting Bumrah to take over the captaincy.

“Has Bumrah said he won’t captain India? Or has he ruled himself out of the England series? Then why are we discussing who will captain India?" Manjrekar quoted on his social media.

After Rohit Sharma’s retirement, it will be a big shoe to fill in the red-ball format. Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah are the front-runners to become the next Test skipper for India, where Gill has the edge over Bumrah because of fitness.

Watch Sanjay Manjrekar X post:

Has Bumrah said he won’t captain India? Or has he ruled himself out of the England series? Then why are we discussing who will captain India? 🤯

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 18, 2025

Sanjay Manjrekar raises questions on Bumrah’s availability

Manjrekar is pretty much in favor of Jasprit Bumrah becoming the next skipper for India in Test cricket. Manjrekar asked questions to some experts who are ruling out Bumrah because of not playing all the matches in the England tour.

Manjrekar compared Bumrah to Rohit, as Rohit also captained India in Australia for just three out of five Test matches.

“If Bumrah’s availability because of injuries is the issue, didn’t we have Rohit captain India in just 3 of the 5 Tests in Aus recently?" Manjrekar questioned on Sunday evening.

If Bumrah’s availability because of injuries is the issue, didn’t we have Rohit captain India in just 3 off the 5 Tests in Aus recently? Availability can’t be the be all & end all, deservability far more important. Especially in Tests. 🙏

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 18, 2025

Jasprit Bumrah’s leadership experience

Bumrah has led India in three Test matches in his career. Bumrah led India in the fifth Test match in England in 2022 and the first and fifth Test matches in Australia in 2024-25 because of Rohit’s absence from the team.

Bumrah was Rohit Sharma's deputy in the red-ball format, but now Bumrah is not the front-runner to become the captain after Rohit Sharma.

Meanwhile, Gill has no leadership experience at the International level, but as per reports, the selectors are looking to make him a skipper and want to make a squad that revolves around him.

Read also: Why BCCI pressurised Rohit Sharma to retire from Tests? Virat Kohli factor revealed