Harbhajan Singh reacted to the captaincy debate sparked by Rohit Sharma’s absence for the series opener against Australia in Perth. The regular skipper is still in India with his wife, who gave birth to their son. Sunil Gavaskar had suggested the national selectors and the team management go with a new captain and play Rohit as a batter when he returns. He wants one skipper for the five-Test series and not two.

Jasprit Bumrah, who is the vice-captain, will lead India before Rohit returns for the second match.

“It is a great idea to have one captain for the series. But if India win the first Test and lose the remaining ones when Rohit returns as captain, it will spark a different scenario. If India lose under Rohit and Bumrah, they will ask for Virat Kohli as captain,” he said on Star Sports.

“If you win the first two Tests, all the Indians would want Bumrah to continue. However, if the results don’t go your way, they would want Rohit as captain. We change sides quickly. I am not talking about Sunny sir here but about the general public. It might not be a bad idea. Bumrah can lead the team,’ he added.

Bumrah led India in the rescheduled fifth Test against England in 2022, and the sub-continent team lost the contest by 7 wickets as the hosts completed the target of 378.