Bumrah's fitness concerns could affect his chances as long-term Test captain

Jasprit Bumrah is the frontrunner to replace Rohit Sharma as Indias Test captain going forward but the peerless pacer doesnt seem to be a longterm option given his nagging fitness concerns the latest being a back spasm which has rendered him doubtful for next months Champions TrophyIndian selectors are hopeful that he still might have some role in the Champions Trophy since its a swelling but when one looks at the bigger picture the question arises whether he can be deemed a permanent skipper in Tests now that Rohits days in whites look as good as overIf Bumrah is fit and ready to lead the Test side in England chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his four colleagues need to have a strong name as vicecaptain so that in case of an unforeseen scenario the deputy is good enough to take chargeFor now in Tests only two names are in the reckoning Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal with the former looking the most suitable for that roleIt is understood that during BCCIs review meeting on Saturday with Agarkar head coach Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Bumrahs issues with the lower back cropped upPost the review meeting one can conclude that it is very unlikely Rohit will travel to England for the five Tests and the 31yearold Bumrah will certainly lead the team in the first Test at Headingly if all goes wellThe pacer with 443 international scalps across formats in just 203 games led India at Perth and Sydney in the recently concluded BorderGavaskar Trophy and was the player of the series with 32 wickets the highest by an Indian on foreign soilBut the back spasm in the final Test proved to be his undoing as he could not bowl in the second innings and is set to undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru with an eye on playing the Champions TrophyThe injury has raised questions whether Bumrah can remain fit for long periods given his workload as the pace spearhead in Tests who is also required for ICC whiteball eventsThere is no guarantee that Bumrah wont have more breakdowns during the next WTC cycle from June 2025 to June 2027 now that he is on the wrong side of 30sHence the selectors might be tempted to have a Plan B ready which is to have another equally strong captaincy candidate who can be groomed as vicecaptainFor me it is a very simple thing You look at the data and find who is a sureshot pick in Test cricket Bumrah has played 45 Tests and Pant has 43 Tests He Pant is 27 now and by the time he was only 23 he had singlehandedly won India one of its greatest Tests at the Gabba He is a matchwinner a good sounding board for bowlers and should be the vicecaptain former national selector Devang Gandhi saidAnother former India keeper Deep Dasgupta agreed that Bumrah cannot be a longterm solution as Test captain given his bowling workloadsIt is not just the marquee series England Australia that we are talking about In between Test matches there will be ICC events where Bumrahs presence is a must Like this year it is Champions Trophy and next year it will be the T20 World Cup He is managing it well by not playing bilaterals but nearer to events he would need to Then the bowling workload becomes paramount Dont forget two months of IPL Dasgupta explainedSo even as Bumrah starts as the next Test captain there is a need for a strong vicecaptain and yes Pant fits the bill he saidBoth felt that Jaiswal should not be burdened with vicecaptaincy considering that he will spearhead Indias batting challenge in the coming days and there is still some time before the establishment can think of him in a leadership role