Time for BCCI to follow Cummins' model and hand Test captaincy to Bumrah, a natural leader

A lot has happened in Indian cricket in the last twelve months. They ended their ICC trophy drought last June and followed it up with another triumph in March of this year. In between, they were clean-swept at home by New Zealand in a three-match Test series and lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.

More recently, though, the retirement of stalwarts has dominated the discourse. It was R Ashwin first, who did so mid-way through the series in Australia. Rohit Sharma, officially India’s ODI and Test captain up until May 7, 2025, bid adieu to the format altogether, and Virat Kohli, often the torch-bearer of Test cricket, followed suit soon after .

All of which has put India in a tight spot, even if they have not quite lurched into crisis, and has left them with a decision to make - around who their next Test captain will be.

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Various reports, so far, suggest that Shubman Gill, long touted for greatness and viewed as the heir to India’s batting throne, will get the gig . His captaincy stock, while the IPL was on, only grew and some of his decisions displayed shrewd tactical acumen – the sort associated with seasoned leaders.

But the bare fact remains that he has not quite produced the numbers his talent warrants in Test cricket. An overall average of just over 35 is not world-beating, and an average of 27.53 away from India is, for the lack of a better word, underwhelming.

And while his spot in the side, with Kohli and Rohit retiring, is not under question, there is still at least a couple of notches his batting can scale, which might not be straightforward with the additional burden of captaincy. He can, like Kohli, elevate his Test batting and embrace captaincy, but it could also go the other way, as it did with Rohit. And at this stage, India probably need Gill - the batter, more than Gill - the captain.

BCCI must look at Australia and Cummins examples

Which brings us to Bumrah. The best fast bowler on the planet. Irrespective of the format. Irrespective of the conditions. He led India in their last Test as well, although that was cut short by injury. And that is possibly the biggest quandary surrounding Bumrah.

It is not a question of whether he can captain this side and do it well (because he clearly can, as he showed in Perth in November), but of how regularly he can do so, while also managing his workload and staying away from injuries. This, however, might have been a reservation Australia had too before appointing Pat Cummins as captain. Not only has Cummins largely stayed injury-free since, Australia have flourished with him as skipper.

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The other argument is that India’s bowling attack might have to undergo a transition soon. Mohammed Shami is not getting any younger and is yet to hit the heights he did prior to his long-term injury. Mohammed Siraj continues blowing hot and cold, with the likes Akash Deep, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna inexperienced in this format.

All of them have undeniable potential and the ability to be a vital part of a dominating and energetic pace-battery, and the best way to harness it could be to hand Bumrah the reins, who will not only be able to relate to his lesser-experienced pacers’ problems, but also give them the direction and the template to become world-class bowlers.

Gill, meanwhile, could act as the perfect deputy for Bumrah. Stepping in if and when required, while also realising his true worth and value as a Test batter, and learning the ropes of captaincy without being entirely in the spotlight.

Like every decision in life (and sport), there will be pros and cons, and losing Bumrah to injury for a really long time - because he has to play almost every Test as captain, with a quirky action that is meant to induce breakdowns - is easily the biggest drawback. Not to mention that India hardly ever think of bowlers as captains. Let alone fast bowlers.

Bumrah loves doing well under pressure

But Bumrah has always been the anomaly. The aberration. Ever since he first bowled a ball in international cricket. An outlier who cannot be described adequately or properly enough, and remains beyond fabrication, forgery and imitation. The happy exception that a nation of a billion (and other cricket purists) would want to become a norm, but are resigned to it never happening again.

And in a country that is as enterprising a pace-bowling factory as any currently, it would feel a travesty if THE Indian pacer of this generation, and probably of any generation previously, is not given his chance in the sun as skipper.

Bumrah, anyway, has been India’s figurative protagonist. Bending games to his team’s will, making people truly wonder what is possible with that spherical object that often spends time flying around, but only adheres to and obeys Bumrah’s commands.

This is not to say that Gill is not a good captain, or that he will not be one. Nor does it discount the fact that Bumrah, with his injury troubles, may struggle to keep up. Or that he may just not be as good at marshalling troops as he is with the ball.

But unless India try it out, they will never know.

The moment, the narrative, the timing – it could not have been better. A cricketer who has pushed boundaries and defined greatness in its truest sense more often than not, deserves the opportunity to further add to his folklore and garnish his legend with the highest-possible accolade.

And given how he usually responds to being thrust into the deep end, this should work out fine, too. Even if there is some scepticism. Because words like impossible, improbable, well, they just do not seem to exist in Bumrah’s dictionary.