Jasprit Bumrah's appointment as captain is courageous, speaks volumes for his on-field nous: Ian Chappell

Former Australian great Ian Chappell has praised India for being ‘courageous’ about appointing Jasprit Bumrah as a captain. Indian pacer was appointed as stand-in skipper for the rescheduled fifth Test match against England at Edgbaston. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma was ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19 and KL Rahul is missing the England tour with a groin injury.

The 28-year-old pacer has been impressive with his new role as a captain and also shined with a ball and bat. He made the headlines on day two by smashing 29 runs in an over against Stuart Broad, a new world record. He also took three opening wickets in the first inning and has added two more on day four. England are likely to win the match as they need just 119 runs on day five with seven wickets remaining. But Chappell is impressed with Bumrah’s skills and believes that his leadership battle with Ben Stokes will be an entertaining one.

“Perhaps looking to emulate the success of captains Pat Cummins and Stokes, India appointed fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as captain for their current Test with England. This is a courageous appointment and speaks volumes for Bumrah’s on-field nous. His leadership battle with Bumrah will be a fascinating sidelight to what will be an entertaining game,” Ian Chappell wrote in his ESPNCricinfo column.

No one should be surprised by Stokes and Cummins’ success as captain: Ian Chappell

Stokes was named as a new England’s red-ball skipper from the last month’s New Zealand Test series. He was brilliant with his new role and won all three matches and now is on the verge of winning the last Test against India. Australian pacer Pat Cummins also won the Ashes 2021 on his captaincy debut and later against Pakistan. Chappell has pointed out on bowler’s impact as a captain and believes that no one should be surprised by their success.

“Like with Stokes, no one should be surprised by Cummins’ success. He leads a varied attack that contains very good bowlers and he utilizes them wisely. It also doesn’t hurt that Nathan Lyon is a very experienced and long-time spinner. Handling opposition assaults and not spreading fields senselessly is one sure way to gain an advantage in Test cricket,” Ian Chappell added.