IND vs BAN 2024: Why has Team India removed Jasprit Bumrah as Vice-Captain for First Test?

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India has named a team without any vice-captain for the upcoming Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai.

The two neighbouring nations clash in a two-match Test series, the first of which is set to start from September 19 in Chennai.

BCCI has already announced the squad for the first match, but the team list didn't mention any vice-captain for the match. Jasprit Bumrah, who has been deputizing Rohit Sharma in Test cricket, was demoted from his duties. Although he remains a part of the squad, Bumrah will play as a regular team member rather than being Rohit Sharma's deputy.

Why is Jasprit Bumrah left out as India Vice-Captain?

The absence of the vice-captaincy role for Bumrah suggests that the BCCI and team management may not envision him as a future captain.

This could stem from the need to carefully manage his workload, which has been a talk in the recent past. Bumrah has previously captained India, notably in the rescheduled 2022 Test against England and the 2023 match against Ireland, where his leadership was praised. However, a captain's consistent availability is crucial, and Bumrah's injury history and related workload management can be the reasons behind the omission.

With Gautam Gambhir now at the helm as head coach, India's approach to vice-captaincy has shifted. Hardik Pandya was replaced by Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is as captain, and Shubman Gill has taken over the vice-captaincy duties in both ODIs and T20Is, raising speculation about his potential role in Test cricket.

Who can be India's Vice-Captain in Future?

A lot of names will emerge if we are to speculate about the next vice-captain in Test cricket for the Indian team. Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul can be the big names who may be handed the role, the former is more likely to deputize Rohit Sharma in the red ball format. KL Rahul is also a potential name but his inconsistency with the willow can pose a threat to the selectors. Pant is in the Indian Test team for the first time since his horrible accident, but the southpaw can integrate back to the main fold quicker than anybody else.

Shubman Gill's name is also in the mix as he already has the role in limited overs cricket. None of the pacer will be in the race given their workload management conundrum.

India 1st Test Squad vs Bangladesh

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal