In relation to Jasprit Bumrah’s comment about the dearth of opportunities for pace bowlers in leadership positions, an Indian cricketer has given his view. The fast bowler stated in an interview last month that fast bowlers would make good captains, with specific examples of how Kapil Dev and Imran Khan won the world cup as captains who were both pace bowlers.
However, “Basit Ali made a different statement from what Bumrah said in one of his videos on Youtube. According to him, Dhoni is merely seeking captaincy just like when Babar Azam loves it. He is an outstanding bowler so he should concentrate on this rather than going after captaincy,” Basit argued. Basit went further to define the distinction between a Bowler and all-rounder in matters related to leadership roles stating that “He mentioned about the captaincy of Kapil Dev and Imran Khan. However these two became all-rounders who were successful as captains because they did not become captains upon joining their teams as mere bowlers but all rounders.” The distinguishing factor between a Bowler and an All-Rounder.
Basit however noted that Australian speedster Pat Cummins has been successful leading his side although very few fast-bowling players have achieved this feat or performed well in coaching positions.
“Also he talked about Pat Cummins. Yes Cummins is a good captain but not many pacer can be good coach or captain. I wish him well Jaspreet bumra if they make him a captain someday after Champions trophy”, Basit also added.
Bumrah previously captained India as stand-in skipper during the one-off Test against England at Edgbaston in 2022 and led India to a 2-0 win over Ireland last year from three T20I matches.
