Legendary Kapil Dev has weighed in on the growing conversation surrounding Jasprit Bumrah's potential as a future Test captain, especially in the wake of his leadership role during India's dominating 10-wicket victory over Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While Bumrah's captaincy during Rohit Sharma’s absence has garnered praise, Kapil Dev believes that it’s too early to judge Bumrah as the right candidate to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain.
"I think it is too early to talk about that. With one performance, you can't say he is one of the best, and with one bad performance, you can't say he doesn't deserve that. Kapil told reporters during an event on Monday.
Talking about Rohit Sharma, Kapil Dev said that Rohit Sharma doesn't have to prove himself as he has contributing to Indian cricket for many years.
“He doesn’t have to prove himself. He has done this for many, many years, so let’s not doubt somebody. I won’t doubt him. I hope his form comes back, that’s important."
“With one or two performances, if you doubt someone’s captaincy, I mean, just six months back when he won the T20 World Cup, you wouldn’t have asked me this question. Let it go, knowing his ability and talent, he will come back," he said.
In the first Test in Perth, Rohit Sharma missed out due to personal reasons, and Bumrah was called upon to lead the team. India responded with an emphatic 10-wicket win, with Bumrah stepping up to the occasion, leading the side to a dominant victory. Meanwhile, the series is levelled 1-1 after Australia made their strong comeback to hand India a 10-wicket defeat in the second Test.