The star Indian cricketer Jasprit Bumrah explained why bowlers are good options for leadership roles in cricket. Bumrah expressed his thoughts on more and more bowlers leading cricket teams in modern cricket and termed them 'smart ones'.
Bumrah is India's vice-captain in red-ball cricket and has captained the team in the absence of designated skippers. Speaking to the Indian Express, the premier pacer said bowlers need to think smart as they 'can't hide behind a bat of a flat wicket'. He praised the successful bowlers Pat Cummins, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Kapil Dev who shone in their captaincy roles at the international level.
"I feel bowlers are smart people because they have to get the batsmen out," Jasprit Bumrah said. "Bowlers have to do the hard job and are not hiding behind a bat, they’re not hiding behind a flat wicket. We’re right in the firing line. When we lose a game, it’s usually the bowlers who are blamed. So it’s a hard job.
"We’ve seen Pat Cummins doing really well. When I was a child, I’d seen Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as captains. Kapil Dev has won us a World Cup. Imran Khan has won a World Cup for Pakistan. So bowlers are the smart ones."
The 30-year-old Bumrah also shared his experience playing under India's last three captains Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. He said Dhoni gave him a log of security during his early stages in international cricket and added Virat pushed him in terms of fitness. He lauded Rohit for showing empathy for the bowlers.
"Rohit is one of the few captains who has empathy towards bowlers, despite being a batter," Bumrah said further. "He understands players’ emotions, and knows what a player is going through. Rohit is not rigid, he is open to feedback. MS Dhoni gave me a lot of security, quickly. He has a lot of faith in his instinct, and doesn’t believe in a lot of planning.
"Virat is energy-driven, passionate, wears his heart on his sleeve. He pushed us in terms of fitness, and changed the narrative that way. Now Virat is not the captain, but he is still a leader. Captaincy is a post, but a team is run by 11 people."
