Jasprit Bumrah was the only Indian bowler to win a game for India on the 2024-25 tour of Australia, taking his team to a historic win in Perth. Bumrah also served as stand-in captain for the Sydney Test when Rohit Sharma chose not to participate. Bumrah, however, couldn’t complete that match after suffering a stress reaction in the back a setback which kept him out for almost five months.

Though Bumrah has demonstrated leadership skills, India’s management is still wary. Promoting him to a regular Test captain would mean him playing in all matches, which is a risk considering his injury record. The team is cautious not to compromise his worth as a bowler for captaincy duties.

“He is more important to us as a player,” Agarkar said. “We want him fit. There’s always that extra burden when you’re leading and managing 15-16 other people. There’s a lot that it takes out of you. We’d rather have him bowling as well as he does than putting that extra burden on him. He is aware of it. We’ve had a chat with him, and he’s okay with it. He knows where his body’s at at the moment, and he’d rather look after himself and be bowling-fit.”

Additionally, medical sources have apparently told selectors that Bumrah might not be fit enough to play all five Tests in the coming series against England. Considering his workload with his body and past history of back injuries, selectors have chosen not to load him with the full-time captaincy in the longest format.