Ricky Ponting predicts Jasprit Bumrah's captaincy to be a tough challenge: 'Is he going to bowl...?'

The cricketing world is buzzing with excitement for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia. However, there is a cloud of uncertainty looming over the availability of Rohit Sharma for the first Test in Perth. Rohit's participation in the series opener at the Optus Stadium remains uncertain, with the player himself admitting he is unsure about his availability. If Rohit is indeed unable to play in the first Test, the responsibility of leading the team is likely to fall on Jasprit Bumrah. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has expressed his confidence in Bumrah's ability to captain the side, highlighting the pacer's experience and leadership qualities. Bumrah is considered well-equipped to handle the dual responsibilities of being the captain and leading India's pace attack, should he be called upon to do so.

This would not be the first time that Jasprit Bumrah would lead India in a Test match, having previously done so, against England in Birmingham in 2022. Ricky Ponting also cited Australia captain Pat Cummins' example to make a case for Bumrah to lead India.

“Yeah, that (captaincy) is probably the hardest thing for him. I think that was always the question on Pat Cummins when he became the Australian Test captain as well. How much is he going to bowl himself? Is he going to bowl himself too much? Is he not going to bowl himself enough?" Ponting said on the ICC Review.

“But someone as experienced as Jasprit will understand the times when he needs to be bowling, when he needs to have a spell," he added.

Former Australia World Cup-winning captain Ponting, who will soon coach Punjab Kings in the IPL, also said that Jasprit Bumrah would benefit from having so many experienced players in the group.

“In that Indian team, there's a lot of experience around him,” said Ponting.

“And it's really important, I think, that you use the experience around you even when you are the captain, and just ask the appropriate questions at the right time because no matter how much cricket we've played, we're not always going to be right," he added.

The Indian squad comprises the likes of Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant. All these players were part of India’s last two Test series triumphs in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21. However, it is important to state that Kohli had just played the first Test in Adelaide during the 2020-21 tour, and in his place, it was Ajinkya Rahane, who had led India.

“At the end of the day, as a captain, you're the one that's making that final decision, but whatever advice you can get along the way can only be good," said Ponting.

“Guys like that tend to thrive on the extra pressure and the responsibility. He's always been the leader of the attack for a long time anyway. Whether that's red ball, T20 or ODIs, he's the main man," he added.

Jasprit Bumrah was recently named as India's Test vice-captain for the three-match series against New Zealand, which India eventually lost 0-3. Bumrah played the first two Tests, however, he was not a part of the third and final Test in Mumbai.

Coming back to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the series begins on November 22 in Perth. The remaining four Tests will be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.