More fast-bowling captains? Jasprit Bumrah, Cummins hope it becomes a tradition

India and Australia are set to kick off the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with the Perth Test on Friday, November 22. For the first time in the history of the rivalry, two fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins are set to captain the sides.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, both welcomed the decision to hand captaincy to the pacers and hoped that the tradition carries on. Cummins, who became Australia’s first ever fast bowling captain has seen incredible highs with the team winning the ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship. Cummins said that it was a rare thing for two pacers to captain in the Test match but as a fan of fast bowling, he hoped that it would happen more often.

“Yeah, great to see. Should happen more. New Zealand series last year was good with Tim Southee as captain as well. Yeah, I don’t think it really changes too much. It’s one of those rare things. Looking forward to seeing how he goes about his work out there, but as a fan of fast bowling, it’s always good to see,” Cummins said on Thursday, 21 November.

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Bumrah on the other hand praised Pat Cummins and credited him for leading the Australian side incredibly well.

“I have always advocated for pacers being captains. They are tactically better. Pat has done a phenomenal job. There are a lot of models in the past as well. Kapil Dev and lot of other captains in the past. Hopefully a start of a new tradition,” Bumrah said ahead of the match.

IND vs AUS, 1st Test: Perth weather updates

Both pacers will have a crucial role to play in the opening Test match. The Perth pitch is expected to be bouncy and pacey in nature, with some rain expected in the morning on Friday.