"Guys like that tend to thrive on the extra pressure and the responsibility"- Ricky Ponting backs Jasprit Bumrah as captain in Rohit Sharma's absence
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed India's ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah to step up as skipper and deliver the good should regular skipper Rohit Sharma miss time to start the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While still to be confirmed, Rohit is likely to miss the first or the first two Tests against Australia due to personal reasons.
Should that be the case, Bumrah will lead the Indian side to start the all-important five-match series down under.
Speaking to the ICC about Bumrah's ability to step in as Indian captain, Ponting said:
"Yeah, that (captaincy) is probably the hardest thing for him. Guys like that tend to thrive on the extra pressure and the responsibility. He's always been the leader of the attack for a long time anyway. Whether that's red ball, T20 or ODIs, he's the main man."
Ponting, however, added the key factor to Bumrah's captaincy would be to find the right balance in his own bowling.
"I think that was always the question on Pat Cummins when he became the Australian Test captain as well. How much is he going to bowl himself? Is he going to bowl himself too much? Is he not going to bowl himself enough? But someone as experienced as Jasprit will understand the times when he needs to be bowling, when he needs to have a spell," he said.
Bumrah has captained India in the lone Test against England in Edgbaston in 2022, where they suffered a seven-wicket defeat.
"In that Indian team, there's a lot of experience around him" - Jasprit Bumrah
Ricky Ponting advised Jasprit Bumrah to capitalize on the experienced players in the Indian squad by taking their input while leading the side.
Some of the senior players include Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja, with the former being the first-ever Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia in 2018-19.
"In that Indian team, there's a lot of experience around him. And it's really important, I think, that you use the experience around you even when you are the captain, and just ask the appropriate questions at the right time because no matter how much cricket we've played, we're not always going to be right," Ponting said.
He added:
"I liked to ask the questions of Gilchrist, Hayden, and Langer. Ask them where they thought the game was, and what we needed to do. At the end of the day, as a captain, you're the one that's making that final decision, but whatever advice you can get along the way can only be good."
Apart from the one Test, Bumrah has led India in two T20Is against Ireland last year, both of which they won.
Meanwhile, the blockbuster India-Australia series begins with the first Test in Perth on November 22.