Jasprit Bumrah has been named the captain for the fifth and final Test match against England which is to begin on July 1 in Edgbaston. Thus, he became the 36th Indian cricketer to lead his side. He also becomes the first fast bowler after Kapil Dev to lead the Indian team. Dev, who won the World Cup with India in 1983, last captained the side in 1987. So, this was 35 years in the making.
“This is a huge achievement, a huge honour. Playing Test match for the country was my dream and getting this opportunity is the biggest achievement of my career,” he told the reporters at the pre-match press conference.
Meanwhile when asked if he has learnt anything from the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, he replied in affirmative, adding that he has his own style, but loves to learn from the best.
“See these are legends of the game, and they have contributed a lot. But I won’t be emulating anyone. I listen to advises from all. And try to learn from everyone. But obviously, as your instincts say that you can’t be same as everyone. I try to learn from everyone, but I take the call on my own. “
He added that he had no particular captain he liked during his childhood. He said that he was fond of only fast bowlers.
Bumrah becoming India’s captain for the Edgbaston Test comes after regular skipper Rohit Sharma tested positive for Covid-19 on the second day of the warm-up match against Leicestershire last week. He had scored 25 runs in the first innings of the match but didn’t come out to bat in the second innings after testing positive for Covid-19.
But with Sharma still infected with Covid-19, it means that Bumrah, who was vice-captain when India last played Tests, against Sri Lanka at home in March, will be captaining the side at Edgbaston from Friday. He will now become the 36th Test captain of India, becoming the first fast bowler to be India’s Test skipper since Kapil Dev led India against Pakistan at Bengaluru in March 1987, which was also legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar’s final Test match.
Get all the latest updates on Cricket News, Cricket Photos, Cricket Videos and Cricket Scores here