“He should not chase captaincy” – Basit Ali on Jasprit Bumrah

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali reckons Jasprit Bumrah should not chase captaincy. Bumrah recently threw his weight behind bowlers to lead the team. The gun fast bowler said the bowlers are the smart ones and added they are apt for the leadership role. 

The ace pacer is known for his guile and he is known to adapt to the pitch in a jiffy. The fast bowler, who is vice-captain of the Indian Test side, led the team in the postponed fifth Test against England at Edgbaston when regular skipper Rohit Sharma had contracted Covid-19.

But India lost that match by seven wickets however Bumrah has been part of India’s leadership group. Furthermore, Bumrah has led India in a couple of T20Is but Ali said Bumrah should not be after the captaincy role.

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 focussing 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.”

Ali reckons there are a few players who could become good coaches and captains. The former Pakistan batter feels Bumrah could be made India’s captain after the Champions Trophy.

“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.”

Bumrah was not picked for the Duleep trophy and he should be back for Bangladesh Tests.