'No greater honor than leading India', says Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is set to lead the Indian cricket team in the 1st Test of the five-match Border-Gavasar Trophy against hosts Australia. The decision comes as regular captain Rohit Sharma will be missing the match as he is expecting the birth of his second child. The series opener will begin November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Speaking ahead of the Perth Test, Bumrah highlighted that "there is no greater honor than leading India."
Bumrah's journey to captaincy and his perspective
Bumrah, India's premier 30-year-old fast bowler across formats, debuted as a red-ball captain on July 1 in 2022 against England. Notably, India lost that match. Now, after over two years, he is getting another chance to lead the side. Ahead of the first Test match, Bumrah addressed the media in a pre-match press conference in Perth on Thursday and shared his views on leadership and responsibility within the team.
Bumrah's views on captaincy and responsibility
Bumrah said, "I don't look at it (captaincy) as a post. I love responsibility. I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child." He added that he loves being in tough situations and this is an honor. "There's no greater honor than this," he said, revealing his childhood dream to play Test cricket and lead India in this format.
Bumrah's aspiration to join elite list of Indian skippers
Having suffered a seven-wicket defeat in his maiden Test as captain, Bumrah is looking to enter the elite list of Indians to have won a Test Down Under. The list includes Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane. Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has backed Bumrah to be India's leading wicket-taker in the series.
Clarke's predictions and concerns for India-Australia Test series
Clarke believes if Bumrah delivers the goods in Perth, it could be a challenge to Rohit's captaincy. He also said the added responsibility of captaincy will bring the best out of Bumrah. "I think these expectations of how good he is are going to bring the best out of him," Clarke said during an interview with TAB YouTube channel.
