3 reasons why Jasprit Bumrah shouldn't have been named Team India captain for the Ireland T20I series
Jasprit Bumrah will make his long-awaited return from injury for Team India in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Ireland, which will take place at The Village in Dublin in August. He has even been named the skipper of the side.
Bumrah has already captained the national side before, having taken the reins for the rescheduled fifth Test against England last year when Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were absent. Apart from that, though, the fast bowler hasn't led India in any international assignment.
Team India squad for T20I series against Ireland: Jasprit Bumrah (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan.
It's understandable that the selectors wanted an experienced name at the helm, with the likes of Rohit and Hardik Pandya missing from action presumably with an eye on the World Cup. However, there are quite a few factors that suggest Bumrah isn't the man for the job.
On that note, here are three reasons why Jasprit Bumrah shouldn't have been named the Team India captain for the Ireland T20I series.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah is not a long-term captaincy bet
Team India clearly have an eye on the future, especially in T20I cricket. They appear to have moved on from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with Hardik Pandya captaining the team in the former's absence.
With Hardik also rested, rather questionably, the Men in Blue could've opted to pick a player who could lead the team in the long-term future. Jasprit Bumrah is not only 29 years old but is also an injury-prone fast bowler who cannot sustain playing all series across all three formats.
In fact, even if Bumrah is fit for the remainder of his career, he may not take part in all of India's T20I assignments. The team desperately needs him to be at his physical best for their most important competitions, and the stress caused by his unorthodox action will only get worse with time.
#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead India in the Asian Games, while Sanju Samson is an established IPL skipper
India boldly appointed Ruturaj Gaikwad at the helm of their Asian Games 2023 squad even though the batter hasn't captained the national side at the age-group levels or in the Indian Premier League (IPL). A similar decision would've gone a long way in signaling their intentions for the senior side as well.
Gaikwad is clearly among the contenders to take up leadership roles in the future, having been entrusted the responsibility for the Asian Games. However, with only 10 international games under his belt, it's understandable that the selectors didn't want to immediately throw him into the deep end against Ireland.
That's where Sanju Samson could've come into the picture. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain is an established leader at the IPL level and has been applauded for his tactical nous and ability to bring the best out of his players. He could've welcomed the role against Ireland, perhaps even better than Bumrah can.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah is just returning from a troublesome injury layoff
Without raising too much doubts regarding Jasprit Bumrah's tactical ability, which we haven't been able to witness much of, it's safe to say that there's absolutely no need to add any burden whatsoever on his shoulders.
Bumrah is only just returning from a massive injury layoff, having played only two matches since the end of July 2022. Those two were also games where he was rushed back from the sidelines with an eye on the T20 World Cup, only for his body to crumble once again.
If Bumrah needs to be rested for even one of the three T20Is, the responsibility would once again fall on Gaikwad. Moreover, the fast bowler's focus needs to be solely on bringing himself back to his best, with the 2023 World Cup looming large on the horizon.