What did Jasprit Bumrah do after presiding over India’s biggest-ever win by runs in a SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) country? The stand-in skipper gave a cultured put-down to the naysayers.
At the post-match presentation, Bumrah was asked about Virat Kohli’s form. “I didn’t see Virat out of form,” he said. “Difficult to judge that on difficult pitches. But he was good at the nets.” Don’t miss the veiled dig at the lottery pitches at home as well.
Throughout the first Test that India won by 295 runs, after being bowled out for 150 in their first innings, Bumrah showed excellent leadership skills. It was not only about him leading by example – his spell on the first day would be part of cricketing folklore in Australia – but the tactical nous he showed helped his team stay ahead in the game. Bumrah doing smart captaincy was not unexpected. His mind works like a chess grandmaster, which makes him lethal as a bowler irrespective of the conditions. No wonder that he revelled in his leadership role.
There’s a perception that fast bowlers don’t make good captains. Imran Khan – arguably the finest of them all – shattered the myth long ago. Pat Cummins has proved to be an excellent captain for Australia. In Perth, Bumrah showed he has the required leadership mettle.
“I don’t look at captaincy as a post, but I have always loved responsibility,” Bumrah had said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Perth Test. “I have wanted to do the tough job since I was a child. You want to do things and get thrown into tough scenarios. This adds a new challenge for me.”
The challenge was steep for India, coming to Australia on the heels of a home series whitewash against New Zealand. Defensive field settings and some ordinary decisions on the field proved to be the home team’s bugbear in that series, apart from making the mistake of playing on Bunsens. India needed some inspiration in Perth. Bumrah’s bowling provided that. Maybe, the team also needed some fresh ideas.
Rohit Sharma has joined the squad and he will assume the leadership role from the second Test onwards. There’s a lot of clamour on social media about retaining Bumrah as captain for the rest of the series. That can be conveniently ignored. The fast bowler himself has thrown his weight behind the incumbent.
“He (Rohit) is the captain of our side, he has done a phenomenal job,” Bumrah told reporters. “I was filling in for him, I had a discussion with him when he was in India. We kept discussing how we are shaping up. I am not going to tell him that I am going to lead, but yeah, I am going to help him in whatever capacity I can.”
With the ball in hand, Bumrah makes cricket feel like music with the lightness of touch. Wasim Akram calls him the world’s best fast bowler. The likes of Michael Holding and Andy Roberts tip their hat to the Indian master. The Perth Test saw another facet of Bumrah’s game. It saw him make his mark as a leader.