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Ponting suggested that for Bumrah to lead the side and the bowling attack would be the “hardest thing” for the premier fast bowler.
Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin are India’s go-to bowlers in the Test format. (Image: AFP)
The legendary Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting feels that Jasprit Bumrah taking the responsibility to lead the side in Rohit Sharma’s absence along with leading the bowling attack would be a massive ask of the fast-bowler but he backs the 30-year-old to do the job should Rohit miss the opening game against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
Rohit’s availability for the first Test starting on November 22 remains a doubt with the Indian captain revealing that he was not sure of his availability for the opening clash against the Aussies. Ponting suggested that for Bumrah to lead the side and the bowling attack would be the “hardest thing” for the premier fast bowler.
“Yeah, that (captaincy) is probably the hardest thing for him. I think that was always the question on Pat Cummins when he became the Australian Test captain as well,” Ponting said of Bumrah during the ICC Review podcast.
Ponting however, feels that Bumrah has enough experience under his belt to understand his responsibilities as a skipper and balance it alongside his bowling duties.
“How much is he going to bowl himself? Is he going to bowl himself too much? Is he not going to bowl himself enough? But, someone as experienced as Jasprit will understand the times when he needs to be bowling when he needs to have a spell,” Ponting commented.
Should Rohit Sharma be unavailable, it would be Bumrah’s second Test as captain. The pacer previously led the Indian Test team for the Birmingham Test against England in July 2022 where the Indian team suffered a loss by seven wickets.
Ponting reckons that as a captain Bumrah should use the experience that is around him to good use. The likes of Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are amongst the most experienced players in the current squad.
“In that Indian team, there’s a lot of experience around him. And, it’s really important, I think, that you use the experience around you even when you are the captain, and just ask the appropriate questions at the right time because no matter how much cricket we’ve played, we’re not always going to be right,” Ponting said.
Bumrah remains India’s best fast bowler in the longest format currently, ranked third in the ICC Test chart. Ponting believed that Bumrah has what it takes to “thrive” in tough situations.
“Guys like that tend to thrive on the extra pressure and the responsibility. He’s always been the leader of the attack for a long time anyway. Whether that’s red ball, T20 or ODIs, he’s the main man,” he said.
(with PTI Inputs)