Bumrah reveals he ruled out captaincy during IPL, a by-product of workload

Leeds: The peerless Jasprit Bumrah has revealed that he had ruled out Test captaincy during the IPL itself as part of his workload management, and had informed the BCCI of his desire to prioritise his bowling responsbilities over leadership duties.

During an interaction with former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik on, Bumrah explained the thought process behind his decision to turn down the Indian Test captaincy.

“There’s no fancy stories to it. There is no controversy or a headlining statement that I was sacked. Before Rohit and Virat retired, I had spoken to the BCCI during the IPL about my workload going forward in a five-match series,” Bumrah said.

“I’ve spoken to the people who have managed my back, I’ve spoken to the surgeon as well, who’s always spoken to me about how smart you have to be about the workloads.And then we came to the conclusion that I have to be a little smarter. So then I called the BCCI and said I don’t want to be looked at in a leadership role, because I won’t be able to give all matches coming to a five-match Test series,” added Bumrah.

After Rohit’s retirement and with Bumrah ruling himself out, the BCCI appointed Shubman Gill as the skipper of the Test team with his first assignment being the five-match Test series against England.

During the interaction, Bumrah stressed on the need for continuity in leadership, particularly in a long series, something he would not be able to offer because of his heavy workload as the team’s premier bowler.