The cricketer-turned-commentator backs his former teammate Jasprit Bumrah as a worthy captain following Virat Kohli’s T20I captaincy resignation.
Ashish Nehra has disregarded claims that fast bowlers cannot be successful captains, and has named Jasprit Bumrah a likely candidate to take the baton from Virat Kohli. Being a fast bowler himself, Nehra made an excellent case for his breed of cricketers.
“Courtney Walsh was a captain, Wasim Akram was a captain, Waqar Younis was a captain too. There’s nothing like that,”
the former left-arm pacer spoke on the notion that fast bowlers can’t lead international sides.
Nehra also joked about India making a mistake by not giving him captaincy during his playing career.
He improved Bumrah’s chances of being captain by suggesting that unlike some of the other candidates for the role, Bumrah is a certainty across all three formats of the game.
On the other hand, Rishabh Pant has often been left on the bench, and KL Rahul is not the first choice opener in Test cricket.
“So Jasprit Bumrah can be an option too. As Ajay said, he’s sturdy, a certainty in the team, and is always in the XI for all formats. It’s nowhere written in the rule book that fast bowlers can’t be captains,”
the 42-year-old told CricBuzz.
Bumrah became the leading wicket-taker for India in T20Is during his spell against Scotland. It is no secret that he is India’s most crucial bowler, but it is hard to see him becoming the captain over the likes of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.
However, if India is thinking for the long-term, Bumrah might not be the worst option. Ajay Jadeja also reckons that Bumrah has the credentials of leading the Indian T20I side as he always plays white-ball cricket and has a great understanding of the game.
“It’s possible to look at him as the next Indian captain because, for it, you have to be a certainty in the team and have an understanding of the game,”
the former Indian batter added.
India will play their final Group B match against Namibia on Monday, but the hopes of an entire nation will be on Afghanistan’s shoulders as they take on New Zealand on Sunday. If New Zealand wins the encounter, India’s chances of reaching the semi-finals will be extinct.
