"He should not chase captaincy" - Basit Ali on Jasprit Bumrah
Former Pakistani batter Basit Ali believes that Team India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah should not be thinking about captaincy. He suggested that the speedster needed to just concentrate on bowling.
Speaking on the Indian Express' show Express Adda last month, Bumrah spoke about how fast bowlers can become great captains. He also opined that it was unfair that pacers have often been overlooked for leadership roles.
Bumrah also cited the examples of World Cup-winning captains Kapil Dev and Imran Khan's successful captaincy stints. Basit, however, didn't agree with the bowler's comments.
The cricketer-turned-expert mentioned that both Dev and Khan were appointed skippers only after they established themselves as all-rounders. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit said (from 4:04):
"About Jasprit Bumrah's statement, it's just like how Babar Azam likes captaincy. In my opinion, he should not chase captaincy. He is a top-class bowler and should be focussing just on that. He gave the examples of Kapil Dev and Imran Khan's captaincy. However, they had become all-rounders, which is why they succeeded as captains. They were not appointed captains when they came into their teams as bowlers. This is the difference between a bowler and an all-rounder."
It is worth mentioning that Jasprit Bumrah was appointed India's stand-in captain for the team's one-off Test against England at Edgbaston in 2022. He also led the Men in Blue to a 2-0 win in a three-match T20I series against Ireland last year.
"There are very few fast bowlers who can become a good coach or captain" - Basit Ali
Basit Ali further stated that Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins has had a successful tenure as the skipper. He, however, reckoned that there are very few pacers who can thrive in the role of a coach or a captain.
The 53-year-old commented (from 4:34):
"He also spoke about Pat Cummins. Yes, Cummins is a good captain, but there are very few fast bowlers who can become a good coach or captain. My best wishes to Jasprit Bumrah. There is a chance that he could be made the captain after the Champions Trophy."
Bumrah was one of the key architects in India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. He was adjudged the Player of the Tournament, bagging 15 wickets from eight innings at a fantastic economy rate of 4.17.
The star bowler was rested for India's recently concluded Sri Lanka tour. Reports suggest that he may be rested for the Men in Blue's upcoming two-match home Test series against Bangladesh as well.