Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal has picked Jasprit Bumrah as India’s new Test captain after Rohit Sharma’s retirement. The 1983 World Cup winning player said Bumrah should lead the team in the red-ball version if he is fit and fine.

Bumrah led India in two Test matches on the Australian tour. Under his leadership, India won the opening Test at Perth comprehensively but lost the final game at Sydney. The ace pacer was sensational on the tour Down Under, bagging 32 wickets in five Test matches at an average of 13.06.

Meanwhile, it has been also reported that Shubman Gill could take the captaincy baton after Rohit’s Test retirement. 

“I feel that Jasprit Bumrah is the right person to lead India. Fitness is a different thing, but if he is available and fit, then he is the first choice,” Lal was quoted as saying by India Today.

On the other hand, Lal reckons Rohit would have decided to retire after the dip in his form. Rohit averaged only 10.9 in the last 15 Test innings and there were always doubts on his Test future.

“Look, when such big players are brought in, there’s no space left in the team. They automatically become the first choice. But form can come at any time. What about form? Fine, their performance hasn’t been great. But whatever decision they made regarding retirement, it’s a personal decision. They must have thought it through, that’s why they took that decision,” Lal said in the same interview.

Rohit played 67 Tests during an 11-year career, leading in 24 of them since taking over the reins of the team from Virat Kohli in 2022. He ends his career with a total of 4301 runs, including 12 centuries.