Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar praised Jasprit Bumrah‘s captaincy, dismissing the notion that fast bowlers don’t make good leaders. Gavaskar cited Kapil Dev and Imran Khan as examples of exceptional fast-bowling captains from their era.
Bumrah stepped up as skipper for the first Test against Australia in Perth, filling in for Rohit Sharma, and delivered an outstanding performance. He led by example, helping India secure a commanding 295-run victory and an early lead in the series.
In an interview with India Today, the 75-year-old Gavaskar noted that Bumrah handles captaincy without feeling burdened and made excellent bowling changes throughout the match.
“He’s only 30. So yes, clearly, he has shown that he can handle the cares of captaincy. Today also, the way he made the bowling changes tells you that he is putting a lot of thought into all his moves and once again disproving all that, you know bakwas that goes on that fast bowlers aren’t good captains,” he said.
“In our subcontinent itself, we’ve got Imran Khan, the fast bowler who’s been a fabulous captain. And we’ve got Kapil Dev, two top class captains, excellent captains, so fast bowlers can also make good captains,” he added.
The Ahmedabad-born pacer triggered Australia’s batting collapse, enabling Team India to secure a 46-run lead despite scoring just 150 in the first innings. Bumrah also claimed three crucial wickets in the second innings.
“Such a big win is hard to imagine”- Sunil Gavaskar on 1st BGT Test
Sunil Gavaskar stated that he prefers to avoid comparisons and simply appreciate Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance. In the same interview, he mentioned:
“Let’s not compare because there we have been some very, very great bowlers. We have had Kapil Dev, who bowled India to several great victories. Let’s be happy with the fact we have got another great bowler in Jasprit Bumrah.”
“India had the bowling attack to trouble Australia. That’s for sure. But this massive margin of win was not something that’s easy to think of, because even Australia had a very good pace attack. But, 295 runs is a massive, massive win.”
Australia and India will face off in the second Test starting December 6 in Adelaide.
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