Jasprit Bumrah told to shut up on captaincy talks; Pat Cummins case labelled a rare case

Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has made a bold and controversial statement on India's pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah while mentioning Australian pacer Pat Cummins’ remarkable captaincy.

He suggested that Bumrah should forget any dreams of captaincy and focus solely on what he does best—bowling.

There has been a lot of talk about Bumrah's potential as a leader, but Basit has dismissed the notion outright, arguing that the Indian pacer will be entering dangerous territory by even considering a leadership role, which brings a lot of pressure.

Jasprit Bumrah's captaincy ambitions criticized by Basit Ali

Jasprit Bumrah, who has previously captained the Indian cricket team in both Tests and T20Is, recently said that fast bowlers could make great captains, referencing legendary figures like Kapil Dev and Imran Khan as examples of successful bowlers turned captains. However, Ali is against his idea.

The former Pakistan captain has downplayed Jasprit Bumrah's aspirations, pointing out that both Kapil and Imran were legendary all-rounders before they were handed the captaincy reins, and the Indian pacer hasn't yet matched their excellence.

Ali also said that there is a massive difference between a bowler and an all-rounder, and Bumrah is India’s key pacer, so he must focus on only his job. Notably, Bumrah was instrumental in India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.

Kapil Dev and Imran Khan had become all-rounder for captaincy?

Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel: “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 focusing 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.”

The former Pakistan selector didn't stop there, as he acknowledged the success of Australian pacer Pat Cummins as captain but was quick to warn Bumrah that such instances are rare in the cricketing world.

He reiterated that Bumrah should steer clear of the captaincy burden, as it could detract from his main strength of terrorizing batters with his lethal deliveries.

Pat Cummins' success as captain rare, Bumrah should focus on bowling: Basit Ali

With the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 looming, Basit predicted that Bumrah could be appointed as India’s captain after the tournament, and even he wished the star pacer all the luck.

However, the former Pakistani batter yet again insisted that the world’s best pacer would be better off concentrating on leading India's bowling attack rather than the entire team.

Basit signed off by saying, “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.”

Notably, Bumrah has been on break since India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph in the USA and West Indies in June. He was rested for India’s recent tour of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The Indian speedster is likely to return to action in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh next month at home.