Since taking over the reins of the Australia team in Tests and ODIs, Cummins hasn’t disappointed as a leader and has been commendable in all departments. Under his captaincy, Australia clinched the ICC World Test Championship title in 2023 by defeating India in the final, followed by a triumph in the ICC ODI World Cup, where they conquered India once again on their home turf. This victory marked Australia’s sixth ODI World Cup title.
Cummins has led Australia in 41 matches across formats, while also contributing significantly with the ball, bowling 879.5 overs and claiming 121 wickets.
These stats showcased the 30-year-old’s exceptional ability to manage both the responsibilities of captaincy and his performance on the field, especially with the ball.
So, is India pacer Jasprit Bumrah a perfect fit to succeed Rohit Sharma, following in the footsteps of Cummins?
PTI Photo
The 30-year-old Bumrah has had the experience of leading the Indian national team, as he has stood-in as captain on three occasions in which he has also claimed 9 wickets.
Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn feels bowlers are good thinkers and can make good captains.
“They (bowlers) are very good. I never captained South Africa. So, silly (laugh). Fast bowlers are very good thinkers. Bowlers are very good thinkers of the game. They read the players very well. It is a tougher one (in terms of captaincy). You should be able to manage your workload, injuries as well as when to bowl and when not to bowl,” Steyn told TimesofIndia.com in an interview.
Steyn, who was the coach of the Durban Super Giants team in SA20, went on to give the example of Australian skipper Cummins who has managed to tick all the boxes in style.
“(Pat) Cummins has found this really good. If you look at his record in the last two years of captaining, he has won everything, he has taken five-wicket hauls, he is scoring runs, and he is making the right calls. It depends on the individuals but at the end of the day, it boils down to workload and injury. Fast bowlers are more injury-prone than the potential batters who captain the side,” he said.
Pat Cummins (AFP Photo)
“South Africa have got a gem in someone like Keshav Maharaj. He is captaining Durban Supergiants at the moment and he is doing a wonderful job there. Yes, bowlers can make good captains,” the former pacer said.
BUMRAH’S WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT
After India mauled England by a huge margin of 434 runs and took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, team management rested Bumrah for the fourth Test.
Bumrah, who is the leading wicket-taker in the series so far with 17 wickets, has been released in order to manage his workload.
“Bumrah has been released from the squad for the fourth Test against England in Ranchi. The decision was taken keeping in mind the duration of the series and the amount of cricket he has played in recent times,” the BCCI said in a statement.
“Mukesh Kumar, who was released from the squad in the third Test in Rajkot, has joined the squad in Ranchi.”
Reuters Photo
On being asked whether Bumrah needs to pick and choose formats to prolong his career, Steyn said: “I don’t know how his workload is going right now. I suppose being an Indian player there is going to be a lot of workload. There is a lot of cricket in India these days. The Indian team is playing a lot of cricket and people want to play against them. They are traveling most of the time. So, there is a huge percentage of the bowlers who will be bowling a lot of overs. Bumrah could be one of those guys. But he is being managed quite well”.
“There is a great crop of fast bowlers India currently has in Shami, Siraj, and Bumrah. There is a heap of fast bowlers coming through. I think they manage them well. There is good communication with Bumrah himself about what he wants to do, when he wants to play and when he takes time off. It seems like India really doesn’t miss him because the stepped-in bowlers are up to the standards. It is a very good thing about Indian fast bowling.
“If you go in the past and talk about Indian cricket, you think of spinners. You think of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. You think of spinners. Other than Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan. There are other bunch obviously but you really think of spinners. In the past few years, Indian fast-bowling stocks have gone up hugely. I don’t think we should be worrying too much about Bumrah because he is managing himself quite well,” Steyn signed off.