Jasprit Bumrah pulls out of India's captaincy race, Shubman Gill now in contention with just one rival: Report

Veteran Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has dropped out of the race to captain India in the upcoming five-match Test series in England, according to a report from Sky Sports. The 31-year-old pacer had been tipped to lead India in the Tests after captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the game's longest format earlier this month.

Bumrah, who has also captained India in the past, including the two Tests in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, has reportedly taken himself out of the running for the captaincy because he does not want to commit to playing all five Tests in the series due to the workload. Notably, Bumrah only returned to full fitness in the second half of the IPL after suffering a back injury during the Australia series earlier this year.

With Bumrah's injury still fresh, several reports have speculated that the pacer could be rested between Tests to keep him fresh and ready throughout the series.

Choice between Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant for India captain: 

Shortly after Rohit Sharma's retirement, several reports suggested that Virat Kohli had also signalled his intention to retire from Test cricket to the BCCI. If the Indian cricket board is unable to influence Kohli's decision, it will mark the end of an era in Indian cricket and the younger generation will have to take over sooner than expected.

The Sky Sports report claims that the real choice for India's Test captaincy is now between Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, with the one who misses out on the captaincy to lead as vice-captain.

Reportedly, the Indian cricket board will announce its squad for the England series by 24th of May. The five-match series will begin on 20 June and culminate with the final Test at the Kia Oval in London on 31 July. 

Notably, Shubman Gill was currently leading the Gujarat Titans in the IPL while Rishabh Pant is the captain of Lucknow Super Giants.