The ICC No.1 ranked Test bowler led India in two fixtures during the Border-Gavaskar Series against Australia that concluded earlier this year.
Bumrah elaborated on his decision, emphasising the importance of continuity and team stability as India begin their next ICC World Test Championship cycle away against England in another five-match Test series.
“Yes, the BCCI was looking at me for leadership. But then I had to say, no, that it’s not fair for the team as well, that (in) a five-Test match series, three matches, somebody else is leading, and two matches, somebody else is leading. It’s not fair to the team. And I always wanted to put the team first.”
With 45 Tests yielding 205 wickets, alongside a hitherto unheard of average in return, Bumrah mentioned that while the captaincy meant a great deal to him, his priority remained serving Indian cricket in the best way possible.
“Even if me being there as a player offers a lot more, just not as a captain. The captaincy is a post, but you always have leaders in the team. And I wanted to do that.
“If I’m not careful, I don’t know about the future and I don’t want to be in a situation where, you know, abruptly I have to go away from this format. So I thought that for continuity, and it is only fair to the team, that you know, the team goes in that direction where they look at long term, and I could help in whatever way I can.
“But yeah, captaincy meant a lot. I had worked very hard for it. But unfortunately, sometimes you have to look after the bigger picture. I love cricket more than captaincy. So I want to contribute more as a cricketer and to the Indian team as a player.”
