Shubman Gill was made the captain of Team India ahead of the upcoming Test series in England only because Jasprit Bumrah said no to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India).

Bumrah made the admission during an interview with Dinesh Karthik for Sky Sports Cricket. The pacer said he opted out of India captaincy to manage his workload.

"BCCI was looking at me for leadership, but then I had to say no," Bumrah said. "Captaincy meant a lot, and I worked hard for it, but unfortunately, sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture. I love cricket more than captaincy. I want to contribute more as a cricketer," he said.

Bumrah led India in the opening Test and the final one during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between last November and early January due to Rohit Sharma's unavailability. Under Bumrah's captaincy, India made a winning start to the series before Rohit returned. India surrendered the series after losing three of the next four.

Shubman Gill walks off the field after his dismissal. Photo: PTI /Kunal Patil
Shubman Gill. File photo: PTI /Kunal Patil

Soon after, Bumrah was sidelined with a back injury that required surgery. He missed India's successful campaign in the Champions Trophy but returned to action in the Indian Premier League with Mumbai Indians. Bumrah seemed a natural choice for captaincy after Rohit and Virat recently announced their retirement from Test cricket.

But "during the IPL, before Rohit and Virat retired, I had spoken to BCCI. I discussed my workload in a five-match Test series," Bumrah said.

"I spoke the people who managed by back, I spoke to the surgeon as well, who has told me to be smart about the workload. We came to the conclusion that I have to be a little more smart.

"So I called the BCCI and said I don't want to be looked at a leadership role because I won't be able to give all Test matches in a five-match series.

"Three Test matches is what I'm looking at. The first (Test) is definitely on. Three Test matches is what I can manage at the moment." The first Test will begin on June 20 at Leeds, with matches in Birmingham, Lord's, Manchester and The Oval to follow.

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