Star batter Shubman Gill is likely to become the new India team captain when the BCCI's selection committee announce the squad on Saturday (May 24) for the upcoming Test series against England. Many expected Jasprit Bumrah to become the new skipper but the fast-bowler pulled out of the race himself. As per the Indian Express, the 31-year-old informed BCCI that he is not available for all the five Test matches against England in order to manage his workload.
"Jasprit Bumrah has already informed the board that his body can’t take the toll of more than three Test matches," the report claimed.
Bumrah also informed the board about the injury threat he faces if he participates in all five matches. The premier bowler is likely to play only three games in England.
The selectors were keen on appointing a captain who could commit to playing every match without concerns over workload management. As a result, Shubman Gill reportedly emerged as the frontrunner in the race for the Test captaincy.
What will be the pace attack of India?
Bumrah played all five matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but got injured in the last game which forced him out of the Champions Trophy. Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep could be the other options which can be considered by the selectors.
No Mohammed Shami in England
In addition to Bumrah's unavailability, Mohammed Shami's fitness has also raised concerns for Team India. The experienced pacer, who missed both the T20 World Cup and the Australia tour due to an ankle injury, is reportedly not yet fit to bowl extended spells in red-ball cricket and is therefore unlikely to be included in the Test squad.
“Shami is bowling four overs in IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad but the board and selectors don’t know whether he can bowl more than 10 overs in a day. Test matches in England may demand longer spells from the pacers and we can’t take chances,” a source in the board informed The Indian Express.
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