The India captaincy was his for the taking, but since that fateful January 4 morning in Sydney, the peerless Jasprit Bumrah has gradually fallen behind in the race, and it will be difficult for him to avoid the feeling of being shortchanged. The leadership role was meant for him until he quietly left the Sydney Cricket Ground for a scan while holding his back few months ago. In Bumrah’s absence, any hopes of India winning the final Test against Australia went up in smoke, but that particular injury also dealt a telling blow to his chances of becoming India’s long-term Test captain.

“I am shocked that we are looking at option other than Bumrah as Test captain. Worried about his injuries? Then choose your vice-captain carefully,” former India Test player and noted pundit Sanjay Manjrekar wrote on his official ‘X’ handle.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir‘s presence in Mumbai, for offering puja at the Siddhivinayak Temple, had the rumour mills working overtime that Shubman Gill is still not a done deal for the leadership role.

With the new captain-in-waiting having an extended meeting with the head coach in the national capital few days back, there is little chance for the selectors or Gambhir to retract from their original stand.

There were rumours that influential people running Indian cricket aren’t exactly happy with Gill’s sudden elevation but it would be completely foolhardy to believe that those powerful men weren’t taken into confidence before the Punjab batter was zeroed in as the next Test leader.

That leaves Bumrah, now 31, in a situation where permanent India captaincy might just look like a distant dream and, based on informed opinion, it will be difficult for him to play five Tests on the trot.

In the past, Ravi Shastri was bypassed during his best days, first by contemporary Kris Srikkanth and then by a younger Mohammed Azharuddin.

Down Under, the late Shane Warne was the best captain never to have led Australia, but that had a lot to do with the legendary leg-spinner’s off-field antics.

In case of Bumrah, the selectors had a very sharp, intuitive hands-on leader, but their worry is also understandable. What happens in case of a breakdown?

Freak on-field injuries can’t be controlled, but stress fractures (back), side strain, knee, and hamstring-related troubles that fast bowlers face are part of fitness-related issues.

One injury on a January morning in Sydney, and Bumrah was out for three months. Before that, he missed 11 months of action due to an on-field breakdown just before the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

Going ahead, how the dressing room atmosphere will be depends on how Bumrah eventually takes this decision in his stride.

Needless to say, it will require a lot of man management from young skipper Gill and the seasoned dressing room figurehead Gambhir to ensure that Bumrah is accorded the respect and space he deserves.

It is an open secret that Gambhir is not a fan of star culture and believes that in a team environment, everyone is equal. But, even if that notion holds true, there would always be someone who is more than equal, and that person would need a bit of extra leeway going forward.

If one looks at the current Indian Test team, there are only two genuine match winners across conditions — Bumrah and Rishabh Pant.

Champions are a rare species, and they need to be mollycoddled at times to get the best out of them.

If Bumrah is not made the captain, the onus will be as much on the Gambhir-Gill duo as it would be on the maverick Gujarat pacer to take the team in the right direction.

Bumrah doesn’t need a lot of technical support as a bowler, like Ravichandran Ashwin, is very sure about his craft. He doesn’t need to be coached, but what would be required is a copious amount of understanding as to how he functions.

If Bumrah is on song, Gambhir would be the director of a symphony, but if he doesn’t get support, it won’t take long for things to turn into a cacophony. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)