Although Rohit Sharma has taken the Test captaincy only a few months ago, there are already talks of grooming a Test captain after Sharma because he is already 35 and isn’t a long-term captaincy option. In that case, veteran cricketer Robin Uthappa believes that Sharma should be succeeded by speedster Jasprti Bumrah as India’s next Test skipper.
Bumrah recently became India’s first-ever proper fast bowler Test captain (Kapil Dev was an all-rounder) when he was given the leadership duties in the Edgbaston Test vs England following Sharma being ruled out due to covid-19. But Bumrah didn’t have the desired start as England won by 7 wickets.
Who should be India’s next captain? Robin Uthappa Revealed His Choice
Nonetheless, Uthappa, while speaking in an audio chatroom session on the Sharechat app, reckoned Bumrah has got a sharp brain and with experience as a skipper, the seamer will eventually have success.
“For Test cricket, for me, is Jasprit Bumrah. Boomy is easily the top pick for me in Tests. He has got a great cricketing mind. With the way he bowls, you know he has got a great cricketing mind. It’s just about giving him time at the top. With experience, he will get better and better,” Uthappa was quoted as saying by Timesnownews.
In white-ball cricket, though, since Bumrah will often be rested, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are two leading candidates to replace Rohit Sharma, according to Uthappa. The Chennai Super Kings opener also included the names of KKR’s Shreyas Iyer and GT’s Hardik Pandya to be in the fray for future India captains in limited-overs cricket.
“For one-day and T20 cricket, for me, the choices will be between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for sure. I would have 2 captains and I think you can throw Shreyas Iyer into that mix.
“There is Hardik as well but I think, given longevity, you would like to give someone who can lead the side for a long period of time than someone who could lead for 3-4 years. You would like someone with an 8 to 10-year horizon. If you are looking at that view, it would be KL and Pant,” Uthappa opined.
Meanwhile, Bumrah, Pant, and Pandya will next be seen in action during the 5 T20Is vs West Indies starting July 29. The trio was given a rest from the ODI series after having thrashed England in T20I and ODI series. Shreyas Iyer played in the two ODIs vs West Indies and made a mark by hitting twin half-centuries.
KL Rahul, on other hand, has missed all the international action since the IPL 2022 because of a groin injury, and now will miss the T20I series as well after contracting covid-19.
