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I'd make Bumrah captain and Shubman Gill vice-captain: Michael Vaughan
Follow UsGill has captained India five times, with all five instances coming in the shortest format
The Indian Men’s Test side is at a crossroads, with high uncertainty over the next captain. Rohit Sharma is still the ‘official’ Test captain, but his future as both a player and a leader in the longest format seems to be hanging by a thread after he was omitted for the fifth Test against Australia on the back of a horror run with the bat in hand.
Jasprit Bumrah is the current vice-captain, but there seems to be apprehension about giving him the captaincy as it would further increase his already high workload. Notably, Bumrah could not complete the entire Australia series after sustaining a back injury that stopped him from bowling in the fourth innings of the decisive Sydney Test.
However, former England skipper Michael Vaughan insisted that he would still throw the leadership to Bumrah, even keeping the workload issue in mind.
"I would give the captaincy to Jasprit Bumrah, and the reason is that India's two finest performances in this BGT came under his leadership [Perth and SCG], Vaughan said on the Club Prairie Fire YouTube channel.
“If Bumrah had not got injured I honestly think India would have won at SCG, the pitch was doing so much.”
Curiously, Vaughan said that he would hand vice-captaincy to Shubman Gill. The right-hander himself is struggling for form and was dropped mid-way through the Australia series before being picked again, but the former England skipper backed the 25-year-old to marshall the troops in games Bumrah needs a rest.
“I would give him the captaincy and, beside him, I would have someone like Shubman Gill as vice-captain,” Vaughan said.
"Mark Howard calls Gill the 'Elegant One' but the elegant one needs to understand that getting 20, 30 elegantly is not going to be a Test career averaging over 45, which I feel he's got the game to do. I'd give him the vice-captaincy and Bumrah the captaincy.
“I don't think Bumrah can play five Tests with his body, but just throw Shubman the captaincy when Bumrah's can't play."
Gill has captained India five times, with all five instances coming in the shortest format.