'I am not too sure': Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun on Jasprit Bumrah becoming next Test captain

The search for India's next Test captain is likely to end as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the squad for the upcoming home Test series against Sri Lanka soon. While Rohit Sharma is the favourite to lead the red-ball team after being appointed as the limited-overs captain, there are a number of other names in the fray as well.

Virat Kohli stepped down as the Test captain of the Indian team earlier this month after India's 2-1 loss in the Test series against South Africa. Kohli signed off as India's most successful Test captain of all time with 40 wins from 68 matches and his legacy is going to be difficult to match for any Indian Test captain in the future.

Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun was recently asked if fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who is a regular member of the Indian across formats, can take over as the next Test captain of the team. Arun believes a batter will be better suited for the captaincy role, considering he can play more matches without being rested.

Arun believes Bumrah is one of the best fast bowlers in the world at present and his workload needs to be managed well in order to ensure he can regularly contribute to the team's success. Bumrah needs frequent breaks between series which is a major reason why Arun believes he should not be appointed as the next captain.

“I would prefer a batsman because he can play in all three formats without being rested as much. Jasprit Bumrah is someone who has the mind to do it but then again, giving the captaincy to Bumrah … would be able to sustain all three formats all the time? That is the big question," Arun told News9.

“Bumrah is the one bowler we have to really take care of. He needs to be given sufficient breaks between matches and series for him to stay fresh. So taking all this into account, I’m not too sure he can be the captain." he added.

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Bumrah has so far played only 27 Test matches in his career and has 113 wickets to his name, including seven five-wicket hauls. India's next Test assignment will be against Sri Lanka at home. The visitors will play two Tests and three T20Is against the hosts.