ENG vs IND: May Not Have Been The Right Time - Wasim Jaffer On Giving Jasprit Bumrah Captaincy In High Stakes Game

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer believes that Jasprit Bumrah should not have been named the captain of the Test team ahead of the fifth Test against England.

Bumrah was named the skipper after Rohit Sharma was officially ruled out of the Test match. It is the first time he will be leading the team but the timing was not right, as per Jaffer.

“I also feel that it should have gone to Kohli, but I am not sure if he would have taken it because of what has happened in the past but Pujara should have been the option as this series holds a lot of importance as India are in line for win a series in England after 2007.”

“Similarly, Bumrah is intelligent and has a great cricketing sense but this may not be the right time to give him the captaincy in such a high stake game,” Jaffer said.

“Ashwin should be picked over Thakur because of his experience” – Wasim Jaffer

Ravichandran Ashwin did not play a single Test the previous time India toured England but Jaffer feels he should be given priority over Shardul Thakur for the all-rounder’s role.

“Iyer has scored a lot of runs in first-class cricket and averages over 50-plus with a few double hundreds to justify his selection and plays attacking cricket that India would need.”

“Rishabh Pant at 6, Ravindra Jadeja at 7 and Ravi Ashwin at No. 8. With the ball going to spin, Ashwin should be picked over Thakur because of his experience and someone who can bat and thee seamers – Bumrah, Shami and Siraj will make a solid line-up,” he also added.

Also Read – England is one of my favorite places to play cricket and bowl – Shardul Thakur