India pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah has said he “had to say no” to captaincy of the Test side due to workload, speaking before the series against England.
The 31-year-old has struggled with injuries of late, missing part of this year’s IPL and India’s campaign in the Champions Trophy due to a back issue.
Speaking to former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik for Sky Sports, he said there were no “fancy stories” to his decision not to take on the captaincy, which has instead fallen upon batter Shubman Gill.
"There is no controversy or there's no headlining statements that I was sacked or I was not looked after,” he said.
Bumrah revealed he spoke to the BCCI, India’s cricketing governing body, before legendary duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired.
“I have discussed my workloads going forward in a five-Test match series. I've spoken to the people who have managed my back. I've spoken to the surgeon as well, who's always spoken to me about how smart you have to be about the workloads.
"I did speak to him and then we came to a conclusion that I have to be a little more smart. I called the BCCI and said I don't want to be looked at in a leadership role because I won't be able to give [it my] all Test matches coming a five-Test match series.”
Bumrah said he was having no issues with fitness ahead of the five-match series in England, which starts on Friday, 20 June at Headingley. However, he described the potential of another injury in the same part of his back that kept him out earlier in the year as “career-ending”.
The skilful pacer has notched 205 wickets in just 45 Tests, with an average below 20 and an economy rate south of 3.0 in a Test climate of ever-increasing run-scoring.
Bumrah, who is eyeing up playing three of the five matches in the series, added: “The BCCI was looking at me at leadership. But then I had to say no. It's not fair for the team as well that in a five Test-match series, someone is leading in three matches and someone else in two matches.
"I cannot be dictating if I'd have been the captain that, 'okay, I'll only play three Test matches'. That doesn't send a good message to the team.”
India and England open their five-match series in Leeds, competing for the newly christened Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
