IND vs IRE: Abhishek Nayar Believes Jasprit Bumrah Shouldn't Lead Team India Across Three Formats

Former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar believes that ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah shouldn’t lead Team India in all three formats of international cricket. Abhishek Nayar emphasized that India would benefit more from Jasprit Bumrah’s role as a bowler than the captain of the team.

Jasprit Bumrah led the team to victory by two runs against Ireland in his comeback game in Dublin on Friday, August 18. The right-arm pacer picked up two wickets in his first spell in the first T20I. He ended with bowling figures of 2/24 to restrict the opposition to 139 runs in 20 overs.

Don’t Overburden Jasprit Bumrah – Abhishek Nayar

Speaking on JioCinema, Abhishek Nayar highlighted that Jasprit Bumrah bowled long spells during his captaincy debut against England last year, which led to his back injury issues.

“It depends on his fitness. For a fast bowler to lead, we saw that with Pat Cummins in the Ashes. I think for you to bowl, play all formats, and then lead, it can sometimes be a bit taxing, which is why we see batters taking over the mantle. Like they say, batting is an easier job,” Nayar said.

“If we look at the Birmingham Test (in 2022), he bowled very long spells. I think in that (match), the number of overs that he bowled was the inception of his back going for a toss because as a bowler, you constantly want to win games. So you tend to push yourself a bit more.”

“You can’t have Jasprit Bumrah get injured in the process of doing that. For T20Is, makes sense. For longer formats… makes sense but I would just say ‘save him and keep him for important tournaments’ and make sure we don’t overburden him and overuse him. Let him enjoy his game because captaincy doesn’t let you enjoy your game,” he added.

Bumrah was sidelined for 11 months due to a back injury sustained during a T20I match against Australia. He became the 11th cricketer to lead the Men in Blue in the 20-over format and the first player to win the Player of the Match award in his captaincy debut.

Jasprit Bumrah Has To Be Given Captaincy – Kiran More

Former Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More backed Jasprit Bumrah to lead all three formats of the game for India, noting that fast bowlers can be good captains.

“He has to be given captaincy. He is a good thinker of the game. He is a potential future captain in Test cricket, across all formats as well. I have always believed fast bowlers make good captains,” Kiran More told JioCinema

The team led by Jasprit Bumrah scored 47 runs for the loss of two wickets before rain interrupted the match. The visitors were declared winners through the DLS method due to the rain preventing further play.

Also read: IND vs IRE: Watch – Jasprit Bumrah Makes Sensational Comeback, Bags 2 Wickets In First Over