“The more time we spent in the Mumbai camp, Bumrah just wanted to talk red-ball cricket” - Mahela Jayawardene

Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has revealed that Jasprit Bumrah loves playing Test cricket, adding that their conversations over the years with regards to red-ball cricket have only increased.

On Thursday (June 30), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named Bumrah as India’s captain for the rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham after Rohit Sharma was ruled out due to COVID-19.

The 28-year-old becomes India’s 36th Test captain and the first fast bowler to lead the national team in Test matches since Kapil Dev in 1987.

Sharing his views on Bumrah’s passion for Test cricket, Jayawardene said on the ICC Review show:

“It’s just the passion that he has to wear whites. We had this conversation many years ago, when he started playing Test cricket for India. The more time we spent in the Mumbai camp, Bumrah just wanted to talk red-ball cricket, he just loves it. It’s amazing that you come across fast bowlers who enjoy being out there, playing Test cricket. It’s quite refreshing.”

Having made his Test debut in 2018, Bumrah has swiftly moved up the ranks to become the leader of the Indian pace attack. In 29 Tests, he has claimed 123 wickets at an average of 21.73.

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“He doesn’t want to miss a single Test for India” - Jayawardene on Bumrah

Jayawardene stated that, despite his busy workload, Bumrah is keen on not missing a single Test match for the country. He elaborated:

“He looks forward to each and every Test series. He doesn’t want to miss a single Test for India, which is an asset for India. He prioritizes his Test cricket very much. Knowing Jasprit’s passion to play Test cricket and having spoken to him about that leadership role as well, he’ll be brilliant and I am looking forward to that.”

The Lankan legend concluded that the trend of bowlers not being preferred as captain seems to be changing. He stated:

“You rarely see fast bowlers being given that opportunity to captain, especially in Test cricket, because of the amount of work that has to go in. But we have seen that trend changing with Pat Cummins taking over the Australian captaincy. Bowlers understand how the game flows."

Cummins was named Australia’s Test captain after Tim Paine stepped down in the wake of a sexting controversy. The pacer led the Aussies to a 4-0 triumph in the 2021-22 Ashes.

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