Former skipper Ganguly feels Bumrah should be “good leader” if he captains India in BGT series opener

New Delhi [India], November 18 (ANI): Amid uncertainty over Rohit Sharma leading India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series opener, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly expressed belief in pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah’s capabilities to lead the side in Perth against Australia.

India’s A-lister, Bumrah, was appointed Rohit’s deputy when India’s squad for five gruelling Tests for the series was announced.

Rohit’s availability is still up for debate after he recently became a father for the second time. Signs are all over the place, suggesting his absence, with recent reports claiming that it is highly unlikely that Rohit will walk for the toss in Perth.

KL Rahul being shipped to the opening slot during India’s intra-squad match simulation at the WACA, could be the foreshadowing of Rohit’s absence, at least for the series opener.

In the absence of the designated captain, Bumrah is expected to don the role. The 30-year-old speedster holds the experience of leading the Indian team. He previously captained the side against England in Birmingham in 2022.

Ahead of the first Test, Ganguly entrusted his faith in Bumrah to get the job done by captaining the Indian team and leading the pace attack for visitors in Perth.

“I think he will be a good leader. From what I have seen of him, he looks involved, reads the game well, and bowls in the right areas under pressure in white-ball cricket, which tells you he is thinking the right things,” Ganguly said while speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz.

“So Bumrah should be a good leader for sure. And needless to say, he is a very important player for India. He will be the leader of that attack, and in good bowling conditions, he can have a defining impact on the series,” he added.

If Bumrah leads India as Rohit’s successor for the opening Test, he will be present for the toss on Friday alongside Australia captain Pat Cummins.

India’s squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.

Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.