Former Pakistani cricketer Ali simple He has made a bold and controversial statement about the Indian pace sensation. jasprit bumrah while mentioning the remarkable captaincy of Australian Pat Cummins.
He suggested that Bumrah should forget about any dreams of captaincy and focus solely on what he does best: bowling.
There has been a lot of talk about Bumrah’s potential as a leader, but Basit has dismissed the idea completely, arguing that the Indian pacer will be entering dangerous territory by considering a leadership role, which creates a lot of pressure.
Basit Ali criticises Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy ambitions
Jasprit Bumrah, who previously captained the Indian cricket team In Tests and T20Is, Ali recently said that fast bowlers could make great captains, citing legendary figures like Kapil Dev and Imran Khan as examples of successful bowlers who became captains. However, Ali is against his idea.
Former Pakistan captain has played down Jasprit Bumrah’s aspirations, pointing out that both Kapil and Imran were legendary all-rounders before they were handed the reins of captaincy, and the Indian player is yet to match their excellence.
Ali also said that there is a huge difference between a bowler and an all-rounder and Bumrah is India’s key player so he should focus only on his job. It is noteworthy that Bumrah was instrumental in India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Have Kapil Dev and Imran Khan become captaincy all-rounders?
Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel: “Regarding Jasprit Bumrah’s statement, it is like Babar Azam is fond of captaincy. In my opinion, he should not pursue captaincy. He is a first-class bowler and should focus only on that. He gave the examples of Kapil Dev and Imran Khan’s captaincy.
However, they had become all-rounders, so they succeeded as captains. They were not made captains when they came into their teams as bowlers. That is the difference between a bowler and an all-rounder.”
The former Pakistan coach did not stop there as he acknowledged the success of the Australian player. Pat Cummins as captain, but was quick to warn Bumrah that such instances are rare in world cricket.
He reiterated that Bumrah should stay away from the burden of captaincy as it could detract from his core strength of terrorising batsmen with his lethal deliveries.
Pat Cummins’ success as captain is rare, Bumrah should focus on bowling: Basit Ali
With the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 approaching, Basit predicted that Bumrah might be appointed as India’s captain after the tournament, and he even wished all the luck to the star player.
However, the former Pakistani batsman once again insisted that the world’s best batsman would be better off if he concentrated on leading India’s bowling attack rather than the entire team.
Basit concluded by saying: “He also spoke about Pat Cummins. Yes, Cummins is a good captain, but there are very few fast bowlers who can become a good coach or captain. My best wishes to Jasprit Bumrah. There is a possibility that he will be appointed as captain after the Champions Trophy.”
It is noteworthy that Bumrah has been on a break since India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in the United States and West Indies in June. He was rested during India’s recent tour of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The Indian speedster is likely to return to action in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh next month at home.
