Jasprit Bumrah has captained India in one Test and a handful of T20Is, however, despite his brilliant cricketing mind, the pacer has never been considered a serious candidate for the skipper’s role.

This discussion occurred during the transition period following Rohit Sharma's departure from T20Is when Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya were first considered probable replacements.

Bumrah was also mentioned in discussions concerning the new captaincy, even though he was never the front-runner for the position. Suryakumar Yadav, the outstanding batter, eventually took over as captain of the T20I team instead of Hardik Pandya, the fan favorite.

Jasprit Bumrah admitted that wanting to be captain of the team is beyond his "pay grade." He emphasized that bowlers may be effective leaders due to their intelligence and resilience.

"I cannot go to the team and tell, now you have to make me captain. It is above my pay grade. I feel the bowlers are the smart people, as we have to get the batters out. We are always fighting the odds as the grounds are shorter, and the bats are better. I don't remember any article or technology coming to swing the ball a lot more. People enjoy the ball being thrown around and enjoy sixes being hit," Bumrah said on Indian Express.

Bumrah continued by elaborating on the unique challenges that bowlers face, asserting that their roles require them to be more innovative and resilient.

"Because bowlers are doing the hard job. They are not hiding behind a bat. They are not hiding behind a flat wicket. When you lose a game, bowlers are blamed. It is a hard job. I take a lot of pride in doing that job. You have to face a lot of challenges. Because of these challenges, bowlers find new ways to succeed. Fighting the odds makes you a lot braver, and leadership needs you to be brave," he added.

Citing examples of prominent bowlers who have excelled as captains, Bumrah mentioned Australia's Pat Cummins, who successfully led his team to the ODI World Cup and World Test Championship titles, as well as legendary bowlers such as Wasim Akram, Kapil Dev, and Imran Khan.

"We have seen Pat Cummins doing well. I have seen Wasim Akram captaining. Kapil Dev and Imran Khan have won a World Cup. Bowlers are the smart ones. Sometimes, physically it is stressful, that's why leadership goes to batters. In my opinion, bowlers are the smart ones," he stated.

Bumrah went on to explain how shifting perceptions through results is similar to his own unconventional bowling action.

"Perception changes with results. I came from a perception that this bowling action would not work, but now people try to copy it. You don't try to say things; you let your results talk. Pat Cummins is a big example. I got a lot of positive results. He won the World Cup and WTC. I do not think it is a burden. When you play cricket, you want responsibility," Bumrah said.

Jasprit Bumrah is enjoying his time off cricket after his Player of the Tournament winning performance in India’s T20 World Cup win.

(Indian Express inputs)