
Ahead of India’s much-awaited Test series against Australia, Ricky Ponting has backed Jasprit Bumrah to take on the dual challenge of leading the national team and at the same time spearheading Australia’s bowling attack.
With doubts over Rohit Sharma’s availability for the first Test in Perth, Bumrah emerges as the favorite to captain the Indian cricket team in the absence of the regular skipper.
Ricky Ponting confident Jasprit Bumrah can juggle captaincy and bowling on Australia tour
Notably, India’s Test vice-captain Bumrah previously led the team during the 2022 Test tour of England in Birmingham. Well, Ricky Ponting has thrown his full support behind Bumrah, saying that the pacer has the skill and experience to juggle bowling and captaincy on the tour of Australia.
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However, concerns over the workload of a bowler-captain have long been a topic of conversation, especially after Pat Cummins took over the Australian Test leadership, but the Hall of Famer of the ICC is confident that Bumrah is more than capable of handling the dual responsibility of the Indian team. Like Pat Cummins.
Ponting, reflecting on the challenge facing the Indian pacer, noted that managing bowling duties while being captain is a critical balancing act, but he feels Bumrah is well equipped to handle these tasks together. He has pointed out that Bumrah’s experience and maturity would allow him to make the right decisions on when to bowl and when to take a step back.
Captaincy is probably the most difficult thing for Jasprit Bumrah: Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting said in ICC Review: “Yes, that (captaincy) is probably the hardest thing for him. I think that was always the question about Pat Cummins when he became Australian Test captain as well. How much is he going to play himself? Are you going to bowl too much? Aren’t you going to play enough? But someone as experienced as Jasprit will understand the times when he needs to bowl, when he needs to have a spell.”
Furthermore, Ponting pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah has a wealth of experience around him in the Indian team. With stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant present in the team, the legendary cricketer has emphasized the importance of relying on experienced campaigners to guide them when needed.
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This depth of experience provides Bumrah with a solid foundation as he could turn to these players for crucial advice and tactical inputs during crucial moments of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.
Jasprit Bumrah will thrive on extra pressure and responsibility: Ricky Ponting
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting highlighted that leadership is not just about making decisions but harnessing the wealth of knowledge of those around you against a formidable Australian team and Jasprit Bumrah has that facility.
Ponting further explained: “In that Indian team, there is a lot of experience around them. And I think it’s really important that you draw on the experience around you, even when you’re the captain, and just ask the right questions at the right time because no matter how much cricket we’ve played, we’re not always going to be right.”
He signed off saying: “At the end of the day, as captain, you are the one who makes the final decision, but any advice you may receive along the way can only be good. Guys like this tend to thrive on the added pressure and responsibility. Anyway, he has always been the leader of the attack for a long time. Be it red ball, T20 or ODI, he is the main man.”