Jasprit Bumrah can't handle captaincy pressure in BGT 2024-25? Ricky Ponting drops colossal statement

Ahead of India’s highly anticipated Test series against Australia, Ricky Ponting has backed Jasprit Bumrah to take on the dual challenge of leading the national team while spearheading the bowling attack Down Under.

With doubts surrounding Rohit Sharma’s availability for the first Test in Perth, Bumrah emerges as a frontrunner to captain the Indian cricket team in the regular captain’s absence.

Ricky Ponting confident Jasprit Bumrah can juggle captaincy and bowling on Australia tour

Notably, India’s vice-captain in Test Bumrah has previously led the team during the 2022 Test tour of England in Birmingham. Well, Ricky Ponting has thrown his full support behind Bumrah, saying the pacer has the skill and experience to juggle both bowling and captaincy on the Australia tour.

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However, concerns over the workload of a bowler-captain have long been a talking point, especially after Pat Cummins took over Australia’s Test leadership, but the ICC Hall of Famer is confident Bumrah is more than capable of managing the dual responsibility for Team India, just like Pat Cummins.

Ponting, reflecting on the challenge the Indian pacer faces, noted that managing bowling duties while captaining is a critical balancing act, but he feels Bumrah is well-equipped to handle these duties altogether. He has pointed out that Bumrah’s experience and maturity would enable him to make the right calls on when to bowl and when to step back.

Captaincy is probably the hardest thing for Jasprit Bumrah: Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting said on the ICC Review: “Yeah, that (captaincy) is probably the hardest thing for him. 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.”

Furthermore, Ponting noted that Jasprit Bumrah has a vast tank of experience around him in India’s squad. With stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant all present in the squad, the legendary cricketer has emphasized the importance of relying on the seasoned campaigners for guidance when needed.

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This depth of experience provides Bumrah with a solid foundation, as he could turn to these players for crucial advice and tactical input during pivotal moments in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.

Jasprit Bumrah will thrive on the extra pressure and the responsibility: Ricky Ponting

The former Australian captain Ricky Ponting highlighted that leadership is not just about making decisions but about leveraging the wealth of knowledge from those around you against a formidable Australian side and Jasprit Bumrah has that facility.

Ponting further explained, “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.”

He signed off by saying, “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. 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.”