New Delhi, May 16: Shubman Gill might be frontrunner for succeeding Rohit Sharma as India’s Test skipper during the tour to England, but former spinner R Ashwin said other experienced names such as Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja should also be considered for the hot seat.
The Indian squad for the tour of England could be picked up in the final week of May, and the run-up to the selection process is dominated by the talks around the possible new captain.
“First of all, everyone is saying that Gill is the captain. Everyone is going in that direction. But there is a loud option in Jasprit Bumrah, and why do we forget about Ravindra Jadeja,” Ashwin said during a chat with former Tamil Nadu opener Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan in his YouTube channel.
“If you are willing to go for a new person as captain, I would say why not make him an understudy of an experienced guy for two years before handing him the job on a full-time basis.”
After the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit from Tests, Jadeja is the most experienced player in the Indian side with 3370 runs from 80 Tests and he also has 323 wickets.
“But I would say why not get all the 3-4 candidates and make them do a presentation and ask them each to detail the vision for the team. It happens in countries like Australia and why won’t we go down that road,” added Ashwin.
The former off-spinner, who has over 500 Test wickets, said Bumrah too should be considered seriously and his recent injury should not be a hindrance.
“Look at Pat Cummins, he also had a back stress fracture but he is now captaining Australia in Tests and ODIs. Like that, Bumrah is our national treasure and he should be in the discussion.
“He should be asked, will you be able to play five Tests? Can you be a full-time captain? I know he had a stress fracture but I am sure he will think about it. I think the hat with his name should be number one in that ring,” Ashwin noted. (PTI)
