India, May 16 -- The Indian Test captaincy was always Jasprit Bumrah's for the taking. The 31-year-old also had the backing of the experts, including the legendary Sunil Gavaskar and Anil Kumble, as well as his most recent teammate, R Ashwin. In the next two weeks, he would probably have been coronated as the selectors named the squad for the England Test tour. However, the episode in Sydney in January of this year saw Bumrah fall out of contention, with the board all but certain to go ahead with Shubman Gill as Rohit Sharma's replacement.

Bumrah led India to their solitary win on the tour of Australia when Rohit missed the series opener in Perth due to the birth of his second child. He was also named the captain for the final Test in Sy...