NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has responded to Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah's comments regarding the lack of opportunities for pace bowlers in leadership roles. In an interview last month, Bumrah expressed his belief that fast bowlers could make excellent captains, citing the successful captaincies of Kapil Dev and Imran Khan, who led India and Pakistan to World Cup victories, respectively.
However, Basit Ali, in a video on his YouTube channel, disagreed with Bumrah's perspective. He emphasized that both Dev and Khan were appointed as captains only after they had established themselves as all-rounders, not just bowlers.
"About Jasprit Bumrah's statement, it's just like how Babar Azam likes captaincy. In my opinion, he should not chase captaincy. He is a top-class bowler and should be focusing just on that," Basit said.
Basit further clarified the distinction between a bowler and an all-rounder when it comes to leadership roles, stating, "He gave the examples of Kapil Dev and Imran Khan's captaincy. However, they had become all-rounders, which is why they succeeded as captains. They were not appointed captains when they came into their teams as bowlers. This is the difference between a bowler and an all-rounder."
While acknowledging the success of Australian pacer Pat Cummins as a captain, Basit pointed out that there are very few fast bowlers who have thrived in the role of a captain or coach.
"He also spoke about Pat Cummins. Yes, Cummins is a good captain, but there are very few fast bowlers who can become a good coach or captain. My best wishes to Jasprit Bumrah. There is a chance that he could be made the captain after the Champions Trophy," Basit added.
Bumrah has previously led India as a stand-in captain during the one-off Test against England at Edgbaston in 2022 and also captained India to a 2-0 victory in a three-match T20I series against Ireland last year.
