Irfan Pathan believes it will be a unique development if Jasprit Bumrah is handed over Team India’s captaincy duties in the future.
KL Rahul had to miss the recently concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka due to injury and will not be available for the upcoming Tests as well. The Indian selectors had hence named Jasprit Bumrah as Rohit Sharma’s deputy for both the T20I and Test series. Jasprit Bumrah was rested in the previous West Indies limited-overs series.
Irfan Pathan Reckons It Will Be A Unique Thing If Bowler Jasprit Bumrah Becomes Future Indian Skipper
During an interaction on Star Sports, Irfan Pathan was asked about Jasprit Bumrah’s future captaincy prospects.
He responded: “We have not seen too many Indian bowlers doing the captaincy. You can talk about Kapil Dev, he was an all-rounder and after that, Anil Kumble had become a captain as a bowler. So, it will be a unique thing if Jasprit Bumrah becomes the Indian captain in the future.”
The former India all-rounder added that Jasprit Bumrah would certainly be an integral member of the leadership group even if he doesn’t get the captaincy mantle.
Pathan elaborated: “There is workload management done. We have seen that he [Bumrah] does not play too much Test match cricket in India. But he has the ability, when you become a senior player, you get the experience. He will definitely be part of the leadership even if he doesn’t get to captain.”
With the unconventional pacer being Team India’s bowling spearhead in all three formats, he would require intermittent breaks and it might not be advisable to burden him with the captaincy.
Jasprit Bumrah, on his part, said he doesn’t go around looking for posts but will “never shy away” from the responsibility of leading a team if given an opportunity.
Jasprit Bumrah has so far picked 113 wickets in 27 Test matches at an average of 22.85. Out of his 27 Tests, only 3 have come at home, and out of his 113 Test wickets, 109 have been away from home.
Irfan Pathan Praised Jasprit Bumrah For His Outstanding Journey
Irfan Pathan also lauded Jasprit Bumrah for his meteoric rise in international cricket.
He observed: “Jasprit Bumrah’s journey has been outstanding. There was a time when he was playing regular first-class cricket, he was performing well as well. He got rewarded when he got a chance in the IPL and then he started representing the Indian team, he has not looked back.”
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by highlighting pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s positive influence on the rest of the bowlers.
Irfan Pathan explained: “He has become India’s No.1 bowler because he plays in all the formats and bowls at difficult stages. The evolution that has been seen, there is no doubt he has the quality. He is a calming influence on the other bowlers when he is present on the field.”
It will be interesting to see if Team India field Jasprit Bumrah in both Tests against Sri Lanka. The speedster might be given a break for at least one of the Tests considering that he will have a strenuous workload in IPL 2022, which is around the corner.
Jasprit Bumrah, who the franchise Mumbai Indians retained as the second player for INR 12 crore before IPL 2022, has never worn another shirt than the Mumbai Indians. In his 106-match IPL career, he has picked 130 wickets at 23.04 with an economy rate of 7.42.