Australia cricketing legend Ricky Ponting has backed pacer Jasprit Bumrah to captain India well in case Rohit Sharma misses one Test in the upcoming five-match BGT 2024 (Border-Gavaskar Trophy)
series.
As per PTI reports, Rohit Sharma is likely to miss either of the first two Tests in Perth or Adelaide as he is expecting his second child with wife Ritika. In that case, Jasprit Bumrah, the designated vice-captain will be expected to lead Team India.
Bumrah has captained India in Tests once, in 2022 in Edgbaston against England, and has led in a couple of T20Is against Ireland.
Speaking about the problem, Ricky Ponting admits that being captain may be difficult, especially for a bowler like Bumrah. He makes a comparison to Australian Test captain Pat Cummins and the concerns about his capacity to manage bowling duties and captaincy.
“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?” Ponting said on the ICC Review.
Despite the difficulties, Ponting thinks that Bumrah and other seasoned players know when to rest and when to bowl. He emphasizes how these players frequently flourish under duress and accountability.
“But someone as experienced as Jasprit will understand the times when he needs to be bowling when he needs to have a spell. 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," Ponting noted.
Ponting adds that senior players with prior Australian tour experience, such as Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant, would be advantageous to Bumrah.
“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,” Ponting said.
In his closing remarks, Ponting highlights the need to consult more seasoned teammates and shares his own experience as Australia's Test captain. During his captaincy, he credits Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, and Adam Gilchrist as helpful mentors.
“I liked to ask the questions of Gilchrist, Hayden, and Langer. Ask them where they thought the game was, and what we needed to do. 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,” he signed off.
The first Test of the series begins on November 22 in Perth.
