File photo of Indian cricket team fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah© BCCI
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has always been considered as a captaincy option for the Indian cricket team and recently, he has also expressed his desire to lead the side. In a recent interaction, Bumrah said that it is high time that bowlers are looked at as captaincy choices and even called them the ‘smart ones’. During the conversation, he also cited the examples of legends like Imran Khan and Kapil Dev who went on to win the World Cup. However, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali believes that Bumrah should not chase captaincy and instead, work towards becoming an all-round player. He pointed out that both Imran and Kapil were celebrated all-rounders of their time and that is different from Bumrah.
“About Jasprit Bumrah’s statement, it’s just like how Babar Azam likes captaincy. In my opinion, he should not chase captaincy. He is a top-class bowler and should be focussing just on that. He gave the examples of Kapil Dev and Imran Khan’s captaincy. However, they had become all-rounders, which is why they succeeded as captains. They were not appointed captains when they came into their teams as bowlers. This is the difference between a bowler and an all-rounder,” Basit said on his YouTube Channel.
Bumrah has already led Indian cricket team in a Test match against England in 2022. However, things did not go to plan as India were defeat in the encounter. Basit added that there is a good chance that Bumrah can end up becoming the India captain after the Champions Trophy 2025. However, he once again said that very few fast bowlers have made great captains or coaches in international cricket.
“He also spoke about Pat Cummins. Yes, Cummins is a good captain, but there are very few fast bowlers who can become a good coach or captain. My best wishes to Jasprit Bumrah. There is a chance that he could be made the captain after the Champions Trophy,” the former Pakistan cricketer added.
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