ENG vs IND: Jasprit Bumrah set to become India's 8th captain in 12 months

Jasprit Bumrah will have his work cut for him as he takes the mantle of the leader for the rescheduled fifth Test against England in Birmingham. The odds are stacked against the Indian team heading into the fifth and final Test of the series as they are missing two of their best batters in KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. But the bigger problem lies in the fact that Bumrah is the eighth player to lead Team India in the last 12 months.

Before Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Rishab Pant, and Hardik Pandya have all donned the responsibilities of a captain since July 2021. But unlike all the aforementioned players, the Indian pacer has no prior experience of captaining a side and has only held the deputy’s role a few times.

The captaincy role has been a headache for the team management ever since Virat Kohli stepped down from the position. Inconsistent form and frequent injuries have made the team appoint numerous leaders in the last 12 months. The recently concluded  T20I series against Ireland saw another new face in the leadership role in the form of Hardik Pandya.

Jasprit Bumrah seeks inspiration from MS Dhoni

The 28-year-old, who will be leading the national side for the first time, has sighted the example of former Indian captain MS Dhoni, who like Bumrah, took over the captaincy role without any prior experience and went on to become India’s most celebrated skipper. Meanwhile, the bowling spearhead joins Kapil Dev on the list of fast bowlers to lead India in red-ball cricket.

“I remember speaking to MS (Dhoni), and he told me that he never captained any side before he led India for the first time. Now he is remembered as one of the most successful captains of all time. So, I am focusing on how I can help the team and not focusing on what I have done before or how the cricketing conventions or the rules have been set,” Bumrah said in a press conference on the eve of the fifth Test.