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Cricket Players'I'm not too sure if he can be captain': Ex-bowling coach Bharat Arun gives verdict on India star for leadership role
The former Indian bowling coach said that while the Indian player “has the mind to do it,” he is still not sure of him being a captain of the side.
Since Virat Kohli announced his decision to step down as the Test captain of the side earlier this month, speculations are rife over his successor. While many believe that Rohit Sharma – who has already succeeded Kohli as the limited-overs captain -- should take over the full-time role in the red-ball format, the likes of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have also been up for discussion among former cricketers and fans alike.
In the second Test of the series against South Africa earlier this month, Jasprit Bumrah was named the vice-captain of the team owing to the injury of Virat Kohli, which forced him out of the game. Rahul had led the side in Kohli's absence. Ahead of the ODI series on the South African tour, Bumrah had said that it would be an “honour” to lead the country if given an opportunity.
However, India's former bowling coach Bharat Arun – who has worked closely with Bumrah over the past few years – believes that the fast bowler might not be the right option to lead the country.
“Bumrah is somebody who has got a mind to do it (captaincy). But giving a captaincy to Bumrah.. would he be able to sustain all three formats all the time? That's the question you would have because Bumrah is a bowler who we need to take care of,” Arun told News9.
“He needs to be given sufficient breaks between matches and between series to stay fresh. Taking that into account, I'm not too sure if he can be the captain.”
Arun was further asked about players like Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer for a leadership role, to which the former bowling coach said that it depends on their performances.
“If you look at KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer.. between three of them, any one of them has got the quality to lead the side. It depends on how they are faring at a particular point of time. I would rather prefer a batsman because he can play in all three formats without being rested for any series to take the mantle of captaincy,” said Arun.
