Appointed skipper for the Edgbaston Test against England, Indian spearhead Jasprit Bumrah called it one of his “biggest achievements” in what happens to be a career on the rise for arguably the world’s finest quick.
Bumrah will be captaining India in Birmingham in the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, who is yet to recover from a bout of coronavirus.
His rise to captaincy makes him the first Indian fast-bowling male to be appointed captain in any format since the great allrounder Kapil Dev donned the leader’s badge. Kapil’s last assignment as India captain came way back in 1987 when he led the side against England in an ODI.
Speaking at his first media interaction as captain of India, Bumrah said it is an “honour” for him to be leading the country at the highest level
“This is a big achievement, a big honour. For me, playing a Test match was a dream and getting such an opportunity is probably one of the biggest achievements of my career. I am very happy that I have been given this opportunity,”
he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
It was only the eve of the Test match, on June 30, when Bumrah got told by head coach Rahul Dravid that he will be captaining the side since Rohit is not yet recovered to play.
Bumrah said the team management was waiting for clarity on Sharma’s participation and once the news came in, Dravid came up to him and asked him to put the captain’s hat on.
“We were waiting for an announcement because we were waiting for Rohit’s confirmation. We did a test today (Thursday) morning as well so he tested positive in that test. Then, there was a discussion with the coach [Dravid] and he announced that I will be leading the side.”
Bumrah said he couldn’t control his excitement in the moment and immediately shared the news with his family back home and his wife on tour.
“When I came to know – it is a massive achievement and I told my family,” he said with pride and glee on his face. “They are really proud of me and I am very happy that this day has come. And yeah, very proud of this achievement but now focusing on the work that we have to do and prepare to the best of our ability.”
The 28-year-old fast-bowler’s rise to captaincy had been set in stone from the start of the year when chief selector Chetan Sharma appointed Bumrah the vice-captain for the ODI series in South Africa with Rohit out injured and KL Rahul being at the helm of affairs. A month later, Bumrah had himself named deputy to Rohit for the Test matches at home against the Sri Lankans.
Also read 👉 KL Rahul undergoes surgery for hernia, expected to return in two-three months
Ever since then, there had been a wave of excitement around Bumrah becoming an Indian captain at some stage, given the notorious history of Rohit and Rahul getting injured and the excessively busy international calendar that requires rest and rotation of players.
Bumrah himself is in England after a month’s break since the end of the IPL 2022 with Mumbai Indians. The fast-bowling ace was rested for the T20Is that India played at home versus South Africa and also the stop-over trip in Ireland. The idea for the selectors was to keep him and other Test regulars fresh ahead of the Edgbaston challenge.
A win or a draw helps India claim the Pataudi Trophy in England for the first time since 2007 as they lead the honours for the last year’s postponed five-match Test series by 2-1.
