“I had spoken to BCCI” - Jasprit Bumrah reveals why he didn’t take Test captaincy

Team India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has finally opened up on the reason behind refusing the Indian Test captaincy, which was offered to him by the BCCI selection committee during the IPL 2025 season.

Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, the Indian seamer revealed that to manage his workload and for the need to prolong his playing time, he decided not to accept the offer, which might also send a wrong message to the team if he sits down for a few games.

Moreover, the pacer also disclosed that the BCCI wanted him to take over as the Team India captain for the England tour even before the veteran duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirements from Tests.

Notably, Bumrah has been injury-prone for several years, having pulled out mid-way from the Sydney Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Interestingly, he pulled himself out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and also missed the initial stages of IPL 2025 for the Mumbai Indians.

"Before Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired — during the IPL, I had spoken to the BCCI that I had discussed workload going forward in a five-match Test series. I have spoken to people who manage my back — we came to the conclusion that I have to be a little more smart. Then I called the BCCI that I don't want to be looked at for the leadership role because I won't be able to play all the Test matches," Jasprit Bumrah told Sky Sports in an interaction.

"The BCCI was looking at me for the leadership role, but I had to say no to them because it's not ideal when someone is leading for 3 Tests, then someone else has to lead the rest of the Tests. So it's not fair for the team, as I wanted to put the team first," Jasprit Bumrah added.

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