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Former India coach Ravi Shastri on Thursday said that Jasprit Bumrah should stick to his strengths and not over-try just because he is the captain in the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Bumrah is the stand-in captain for the first Test before Rohit Sharma, who will miss this Test due the birth of his second child, comes back into the fold for the second Test at Adelaide.
“The Aussies prefer to attack the leadership. Whoever the captain is, they train their guns and their spotlights on the captain. If they can bring down the confidence of the captain, they feel that the confidence of the team comes down. The pressure will be on Bumrah—there’s no question about that. Any captain coming here will feel the heat, and Bumrah will be the same,” he said in an interaction in Star Sports Press Room.
He also added that the pacer was a mature cricketer and knows exactly what he is up against.
“But Bumrah is a mature and competitive cricketer. Let’s not forget he’s the best fast bowler in the world right now. The Aussies know what they’re up against—they might come after him, but they also know he’ll come after them. He shouldn’t overtry due to captaincy pressure. If he sticks to his strengths and bowls like a team player, he’ll be fine,” Shastri said.
India are coming into the series with their backs against the wall after losing 0-3 against New Zealand which ended their 12-year unbeaten run in their own backyard.
They are already up against it with a thumb fracture ruling out top-order batsman Shubman Gill from the first Test. Gill fractured his thumb when he was fielding during a match simulation session in Perth on Saturday.
