Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah feels that bowlers are the "smart ones" and they should be looked at as captaincy options. (More Cricket News)
Speaking to the Indian Express, the 30-year-old opened up on how it is bowlers who drive the game and they are more than capable of leading their sides.
"I feel bowlers are smart people because they have to get the batsmen out," Bumrah said. "Bowlers have to do the hard job and are not hiding behind a bat, they’re not hiding behind a flat wicket. We’re right in the firing line. When we lose a game, it’s usually the bowlers who are blamed. So it’s a hard job."
He also cited the example of Pat Cummins in the present and Imran Khan and Kapil Dev in the past to stress upon his point.
"We’ve seen Pat Cummins doing really well. When I was a child, I’d seen Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as captains. Kapil Dev has won us a World Cup. Imran Khan has won a World Cup for Pakistan. So bowlers are the smart ones."
"I understand that our country loves big batsmen and fair enough, but for me, bowlers drive the game."
Jasprit Bumrah has captained India in two T20Is in Ireland where the Indian team defeated the hosts 2-0. The pacer has also led India in a solitary Test in England in 2022. India lost that match.
Bumrah has previously also expressed his willingness to lead the Indian team.
“I did one game and it was the utmost honour," Bumrah was quoted as saying by The Guardian earlier this year. “Playing Test cricket is great, captaining was even better. Yes, we lost but we were ahead in the match and I loved the responsibility. Sometimes as a fast bowler you go down to fine leg and switch off but I loved being involved in every decision, right in the thick of things. And given the opportunity, of course, who wouldn’t?"
In his Indian Express interaction, Bumrah also talked about the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.
"Rohit [Sharma] is one of the few captains who has empathy towards bowlers, despite being a batter," he said. "He understands players’ emotions, and knows what a player is going through. Rohit is not rigid, he is open to feedback. MS [Dhoni] gave me a lot of security, quickly. He has a lot of faith in his instinct, and doesn’t believe in a lot of planning.
"Virat [Kohli] is energy-driven, passionate, wears his heart on his sleeve. He pushed us in terms of fitness, and changed the narrative that way. Now Virat is not the captain, but he is still a leader. Captaincy is a post, but a team is run by 11 people."
