IND vs ENG: Jasprit Bumrah Could Follow Kapil Dev As Second Fast Bowler To Lead India After 35 Years
Published - 26 Jun 2022, 04:35 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:09 AM
Team India bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is likely to lead the national side in the one-off Test against England from July 1 to July 5.
Bumrah is the front-runner to captain India after regular skipper Rohit Sharma tested positive on Saturday for COVID-19 after taking a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT).
Jasprit Bumrah could become the second fast bowler to captain India after Kapil Dev
The Indian skipper is scheduled to take an RT-PCR Test on Sunday (June 26) to confirm the severity of the infection. In case, Rohit remains unfit to participate in the rescheduled Test then the onus is on the Indian pacer to don the captain’s armband.
India’s vice-captain KL Rahul is also unavailable for the England tour for his due medical treatment in Germany.
If given an opportunity, it would be an honour: Jasprit Bumrah
If Bumrah gets the opportunity to lead India in the series decider game in Birmingham then he will end the 35-year wait for a fast bowler to captain the Indian team. Kapil Dev was the last pace bowler to lead the national team in March 1987 in the five-Test series against Pakistan at home.
Bumrah was appointed vice-captain of the Indian team during the three-match ODI series in South Africa in January with Rahul as the captain. The Indian pacer was also named deputy to Rohit Sharma for the Sri Lanka Test series at home in March.
“If given an opportunity, it would be an honour. I don’t think any player would say no. There’s no bigger feeling than that,” Bumrah said during the South Africa tour.
“I don’t like to chase things because I don’t want to… See I am a person who believes that God has a plan and everything will find out its own way, so I don’t like to hamper the plan that is there. I try to never change anything.
“Whatever role is asked of me I would do it with the best ability that I can. I don’t want to change the whole organisation, you are always a leader when you are a senior member of the team so it’s just a post that comes with you,” he added.
India’s squad for the fifth Test vs England: Rohit Sharma ©, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Srikar Bharat, Prasidh Krishna.
