Former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun is not in favor of giving Test captaincy to Jasprit Bumrah. The gun fast bowler had recently said that it would be an honor and privilege for him to lead the Test side if he is given the opportunity after Virat Kohli decided to quit the leadership role.
However, Arun, who took India’s fast bowling unit to new heights under his tenure, reckons a batter will be a better choice to lead India in the Test format. Arun revealed that it would be easy for the management to maintain a batsman’s workload in all three formats. But it should be noted that Rohit Sharma has been already named as India’s white-ball skipper.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia recently decided to appoint Pat Cummins as the Test skipper and he led his team to a convincing 4-0 win against England in the Ashes.
“I would prefer a batsman because he can play in all three formats without being rested as much,” said Arun. “Jasprit Bumrah is someone who has the mind to do it but then again, giving the captaincy to Bumrah … would be able to sustain all three formats all the time? That is the big question,” he said.
“Bumrah is the one bowler we have to really take care of. He needs to be given sufficient breaks between matches and series, for him to stay fresh. So taking all this into account, I’m not too sure he can be the captain.’”
Arun added that Rohit Sharma can be a good option as he has done well in Kohli’s absence and has also proven himself as a leader in the IPL as he has led Mumbai Indian to five titles. Furthermore, Rohit has been performing consistently in the Test format as an opener. In fact, it has been reported that Rohit could be India’s next Test captain as he has all the experience under his belt.
“It has to be someone who can look at it rationally, as to what can be done for this team to get better. I think yes, Rohit Sharma is there, he’s a very astute captain who has proved it wherever he has captained,’ he said. ‘He’s got the best out of the players and since Virat has given up the captaincy, Rohit with his experience is one of the best captains,” Arun told News9.
It will be interesting to note which player will the selectors back to be India’s new Test captain. India will now face West Indies in three-match ODI series.
