 "Jasprit Bumrah captained India in two Tests in Australia and impressed the experts. Image: AP")
Team India will soon need a new full-time captain in Test and ODI format and legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels Jasprit Bumrah is the “next man”. Rohit Sharma currently captains India in Tests and ODIs after retiring from T20Is following the World Cup win last year. The T20 captaincy has since been passed on to Suryakumar Yadav.
Rohit is already 37 and has been struggling for form in international cricket lately. He scored just 31 runs in five innings in Australia as India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1. The situation got so bad that Rohit had to sit out of the final Test in Sydney as India hoped to draw the series.
The next assignment for India is the white-ball series at home against England followed by the Champions Trophy 2025 and while Rohit is expected to lead India in the ODIs, the team will require a new captain when a new World Test Championship cycle starts in June 2025, unless the selectors opt to stick with Rohit who would be 38 by then.
Gavaskar praises Bumrah’s tactical acumen
Gavaskar said Bumrah has the qualities of a leader and thinks the pacer will be made the next India captain.
“He could be the next man. I think he will be the next man. Because he leads from the front, he has got a very good air about him, the air of a leader but not somebody who is going to pressure on you,” Gavaskar said on Channel 7.
“Sometimes, you have captains who put a lot of pressure on you. With Bumrah you can see that, he expects the others to do what their job is, why they are in the national team, but it doesn’t seem to pressurise anybody,” Gavaskar added.
Bumrah was India’s captain in the Perth Test which they won by 295 runs, their only win on the tour of Australia. Rohit took over the captaincy from the second Test, returning after a paternity leave.
Impact Shorts
View AllIn Rohit’s absence, Bumrah once again captained the side in Sydney but could not bowl in the second innings due to back issues.
“With the fast bowlers, he has been absolutely brilliant, standing at mid-off, mid-on and every time just being at hand to tell them. I think he was absolutely brilliant and I won’t be surprised if he takes over very soon,” Gavaskar added while talking about Bumrah’s tactical acumen.
Bumrah also ended the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as Player of the Series with 32 wickets in five Tests.