“He was touted by MS [Dhoni] many years ago as a potential captain” – Matthew Hayden on Jasprit Bumrah
Former Australia batter Matthew Hayden has shared that erstwhile India captain and his skipper at CSK, MS Dhoni, saw leadership qualities in ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah several years ago. The reaction came as Bumrah is set to lead India in the first Test of the five-match series Down Under. Hayden said the speedster possesses all the traits required for a good leadership role.
Bumrah led India in the only Test against England in 2022 when his team lost by seven wickets as the hosts chased down 378 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Apart from the above, he guided the Men in Blue to a 2-0 T20I series win in Ireland in August last year.
Matthew Hayden told India Today:
"From what I understand, not knowing Bumrah on the field as such, not even having played against him, but coming from a great friend and mentor of mine in MS Dhoni, he’s got leadership qualities as well. In fact, he was touted by MS many years ago as a potential captain."
"Off the field, I have spent a large amount of time with Jasprit, he’s intelligent, well-organised and constructive in his comments on the game, which for me reveals he’s got good leadership instincts, and they will come to the fore captaining a very excited and extremely optimistic team coming here, and I’m sure he will be up for it," he added.
“Bumrah will lead with the ball just like Pat Cummins” – Matthew Hayden backs Jasprit Bumrah to lead from the front in the Perth Test
Like Pat Cummins, Matthew Hayden has backed Jasprit Bumrah to lead by example in the first Test against Australia. He said in the same interaction:
“Bumrah will lead with the ball just like Pat Cummins. He took five wickets in Perth in a losing cause. He is going to lead from the front, the better he bowls, the better his team gets into a position of dominance, and he can expose many players because of his immense talent,” Hayden said in the same interaction.
“When you think about Jasprit Bumrah, you think he’s probably played 80 to 100 Tests. It just seems like he’s been a stalwart of Indian cricket across all three formats. The reality is he has played 40 Tests and that’s a lot of cricket, but it’s not Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and other names that have played a lot more amongst the stalwarts of Indian cricket,” he added.
As a bowler, Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 32 wickets in seven Tests in Australia, including a five-wicket haul.