Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has ruled out Jasprit Bumrah as a candidate for India’s next Test captain, instead backing Shubman Gill or Rishabh Pant to take over following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format. Speaking on The ICC Review, Shastri stressed that youth should be prioritized, with Gill and Pant offering long-term leadership prospects given their age and experience in IPL captaincy.
Though Bumrah served as vice-captain under Rohit and even led India in parts of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Shastri believes making him captain could compromise his longevity as a bowler. “I don’t want Jasprit to be made captain and then you lose him as a bowler,” Shastri said, referring to the pacer’s history of back injuries.
Instead, Shastri sees potential in grooming Gill, 25, or Pant, 26, as future leaders. “They’ve got experience now as IPL captains. Groom them, give them time — they’ve got a decade ahead,” he added.
Meanwhile, BCCI has announced the India A squad for two key first-class matches against England Lions. Abhimanyu Easwaran will lead the side, with notable inclusions like Karun Nair, Shardul Thakur, and Ishan Kishan. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, both currently performing well for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, will join for the second match.
India A squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan, Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey.