Updated 13 May 2025 at 16:16 IST
After Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma's Retirements, R Ashwin Backs Jasprit Bumrah To Lead Team India: 'He Deserves The Captaincy'
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirement, a number of players have emerged favourites to be the next Test caption ahead of the England Test series.
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Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah inspect the pitch ahead of the fifth and last test match against Australia, at Sydney Cricket Ground | Image:
ANI Photo
The Indian Cricket Team is witnessing a transition phase. The retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has left Team India with some big shoes to fill ahead of the England Test series, which will mark the start of the new World Test Championship.
R Ashwin Backs Jasprit Bumrah To Succeed Rohit Sharma
With Rohit's retirement, the selectors will have to announce a new leader in the longest format. Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Jasprit Bumrah to succeed Rohit Sharma as the next Test captain. Bumrah led India in the first Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and guided the country to a sensational win. He also captained Indian in the Sydney Test when Rohit decided to stand down following a string of bad scores.
On his YouTube show 'Ash Ki Baat', he said, "I didn't have an idea both [Rohit and Kohli] would retire together.
"This will a testing time for Indian cricket, and I'll say this is truly now the beginning of the Gautam Gambhir era.
“The team that will tour England will be a completely new team, a transformed team where Bumrah will probably be the senior-most player. He is obviously one of the captaincy options; I think he deserves the captaincy, but the selectors will take a decision based on his physical capacity.”
Also Read: BCCI's Family Policy Reason Behind Virat Kohli's Premature Retirement From Test Cricket: REPORT
Shubman Gill Tops List To Be The Next Test Captain
Shubman Gill is considered to be the frontrunner in replacing Rohit Sharma as the next Indian captain. Bumrah was the designated vice-captain for the Australian tour. But his persistent injury issues would be a major factor in picking up the next captain. The fast bowler missed the Champions Trophy and only returned to the IPL after missing a huge chunk of cricket. Managing his workload would be tricky and that's why Gill is likely to be handed the mantle as it stands.
Published 13 May 2025 at 16:07 IST