Jasprit Bumrah Excluded as Vice-Captain for England Series, Won't Play All Five Tests

India’s fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will not have any leadership role in the upcoming five-match Test series against England. The series, which kicks off India’s new World Test Championship (WTC) journey, is set to begin on June 20. Even though Bumrah has earlier served as vice-captain and once led the team in Australia, this time he won’t be given any such responsibility.

Bumrah to Miss Tests, Focus on Steady Leadership

According to The Indian Express, a source said that the selectors wanted a captain and vice-captain who would be available for all five Test matches. The report also mentioned that Jasprit Bumrah won’t be playing in all of them.

“We want a player who will be available for all five Test matches, and he should be given the vice-captain’s role. Bumrah won’t be playing all five matches, so we don’t want to appoint different deputies for different games. It will be better that the captain and vice-captain be certain and play all five Tests,” the source said.

Jasprit Bumrah, who had been out of action for almost three months due to a back injury he picked up during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, returned to the field in IPL 2025. Last year, he was India’s most heavily used bowler, bowling more overs than anyone else. Keeping that in mind, and to make sure he stays fit, the selectors have decided he won’t play all five Test matches in the upcoming series in England.

Because of his injury, Bumrah couldn't play in the Champions Trophy and also missed almost the first half of IPL 2025.

Gill and Pant: Likely Future Leaders

The report mentioned that the selectors want to prepare a young player for the role of vice-captain, someone who could eventually take over as captain. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are seen as strong candidates because they are at the right stage in their careers. On the other hand, senior players like Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and KL Rahul are considered a bit too old for the long-term role, while Yashasvi Jaiswal is still a bit too young for such responsibility.

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