The World Cup-winning captain for India and a premier all-rounder of the past, Kapil Dev, is yet to back the top-tier fast bowler of the Blue Brigade, Jasprit Bumrah, to be the new leader of the national side in the longest format of the game, replacing Rohit Sharma, who is aging towards the fag end of his career.
The comments of Kapil Dev came on the back of India’s ten-wicket defeat during the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 at the Adelaide Oval. However, under Bumrah’s captaincy, they took the lead in the series with a 295-run victory at the Optus Stadium in Perth in the opening red-ball contest.
The veteran, during an interaction with the reporters at the launch of the Vishwa Samudra Open on Monday (December 09) at the Delhi Golf Club, pointed out the requirement of keeping patience before drawing conclusions about the leadership capabilities of the player.
“I think, it’s too early to talk about that (Rohit Sharma’s replacement as Test captain). With one performance, you can’t say he’s one of the best, and with one bad performance, you can’t say he doesn’t deserve to be there.” The present of the Professional Golf Tour of India, Kapil Dev, addressed.
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“Let a player play a lot of cricket, take on a lot of captaincy, and go through ups and downs. Then, you judge a person by how they reacted during the difficult times, not the good times. In hood times, there is no need for judgment.” The Haryana all-rounder claimed.
“It’s up to Virat Kohli how fast he can bounce back”- Kapil Dev
Rohit Sharma, who was appointed the new red-ball leader of the Indian side, replacing their most successful member of the position, Virat Kohli, with 40 victories in 68 games, has led the two-time World Test Championship (WTC) runners-up in 22 encounters and got over the line in 12 fixtures with a winning rate of 54.54.
Bumrah made his Test debut in 2022 when Rohit was unavailable for the one-off Test at Edgbaston against England but was smashed for a huge defeat in that game. When the Nagpur-born missed the Perth Test due to paternity leave for the birth of his second child, the fast bowler led the team and bowled well to carry them over the line with eight wickets to grab the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Kapil Dev has also cited the example of Virat Kohli and how the incredible batter has grown in stature over the years and has also gone through rough times to earn so much success.
“We talk about character when someone is down or out. Take Virat Kohli, for example, one of the best cricketers this country has ever seen. If you list the top four cricketers, he will be there. So, if he is going through a rough time, it’s up to him how fast he can bounce back and come back for the better.” Kapil Dev, the 65-year-old former all-rounder highlighted.
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India was nearly down and out in the Perth Test when they were bundled out for just 150 in the first innings, having won the toss and decided to bat first. But then the Ahmedabad pacer ripped the top order of the home side with three wickets in his opening spell.
The 30-year-old is currently serving as the vice-captain but has shown his potential ability to lead the side in the future. But, as Kapil Dev mentioned, the road of someone to lead a side can not be defined in one game.