Team India pace bowling maestro and long-time vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah is set to step aside from leadership duties at the England tour of 2025. Inside sources at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed this development as India prepares to storm India for a five-Test series. India A will also play three unofficial 4-day Tests before the official encounter vs England.
Bumrah showcased his leadership qualities in India’s most-recent Test series vs Australia at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024/25. His leadership skills propelled India to their only win of the series, as Australia registered a 3-1 win in subsequent games without Bumrah as team skipper.
Likely Reasons Why Jasprit Bumrah Will Not Be Team India’s Vice-Captain at 2025 England Test
Bumrah’s availability
The BCCI source suggests that selectors may not field Bumrah in all five Test matches vs England. This insider also says the team needs a stable vice-captain who will be available for all games when India face their hosts from June 20.
“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 should be certain and play all five Tests,” the insider said.
His injury record
BCCI officials are obviously wary of Bumrah’s injury record in their decision to strip the Test vice-captaincy from him. Bumrah missed out on the ICC Champions Trophy and first half of IPL 2025 season due to injury.
Bumrah Needs Time to Rest and Recover – Ravi Shastri
Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri stressed the need to give Jasprit Bumrah enough time to recover before the Test series vs England.
Shastri was India’s head coach when Bumrah developed into the lethal pace-bowling machine fans know today. The former India coach suggests a bit-part role for Bumrah should be enough to see him gain full recovery after a stress-filled IPL season:
“I would be very, very careful (with Bumrah). I would give him two Test matches at a time and then wait for the break,” Shastri said.
Shastri adds that Bumrah should receive close monitoring and play no more than four Tests during this series to avoid injuries:
“Ideally, make him play four (Test matches). You’ll be tempted to make him play five if he starts off in a great manner, but it’s how his body pulls up. He should be given the first opportunity to say, ‘Yes, a little, (I am) feeling the niggle. A break would help’. Give him that break,” the former head coach added.
3 Potential Vice-Captain Candidates for Team India to England Test Tour of 2025
It is almost officially confirmed that Bumrah will not be the vice-captain when India face off against England from June 20, 2025. Few of Bumrah’s teammates could take his place as the team targets a replica of their 4-1 series win vs England in 2024. Let’s see some of the top candidates who could replace Bumrah as Test vice-captain in England:
Yashasvi Jaiswal
India in whites endured a horrid encounter vs Australia at the last Border-Gavaskar duel; however, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Gautam Gambhir’s men. Individual brilliance from Jaiswal was enough to signal his readiness for potential leadership in the future. Jaiswal is young and likely to feature in every Test match vs England, two requirements the team need from a vice-captain.
Jaiswal’s seamless output across formats is another reason why he could be the top player to become India’s new Test vice-captain ahead of Bumrah. Giving him the deputy’s role could also make up for his shock omission from India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad.
Selectors initially shortlisted Jaiswal after his big-hitting performances vs Australia. He was inexplicably dropped from the squad for spin star Varun Chakravarthy shortly after.
Rishabh Pant
India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has not had the best IPL season so far; however, he could feature as the Test team’s vice-captain to England from June 20. Pant’s struggles at IPL 2025 puts several question marks over his form, and some analysts suggest he may never achieve the pre-December 2022 levels that brough him to fame.
However, Rishabh has ample experience as a wicketkeeper and batter in the national team. He made his full debut in 2017 and hasn’t been left out of the squad when fully-fit since that time. Pant also has experience captaining the national team after leafing India during the 2022 five-game T20I series vs South Africa.
Shubman Gill
Gill also has experience as a captain of India’s national team after leading the Men in Blue vs Zimbabwe during the 2024 T20I series. The current Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper has also been in the national team setup for some time and could be a perfect candidate to replace the aging Bumrah.
