Ashley Giles questions Jasprit Bumrah's leadership skills

Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah became the 36th player to lead India in the purest format of the game. Bumrah was announced as the captain for the 5th rescheduled Test match between India and England in Birmingham after Rohit Sharma tested positive for Coronavirus. 

The noteworthy point here is that Bumrah is the first pacer to captain India after Kapil Dev in 1987. This is also the first time the 28-year-old has donned the skipper's hat. Before the Test match against England, Bumrah has never essayed the role of a skipper in any domestic or international game. 

While many are celebrating the appointment of a fast bowler as a captain, former English spinner Ashley Giles isn't happy with the decision. The veteran believes that fast bowlers aren't good captaincy options as they can get confused regarding their roles. Giles added that India need Bumrah as a bowler rather than a skipper. 

"That's the interesting point. Giving the captaincy to your most potent bowler and your strike bowler. And we've seen in the past that this can cause some confusion just for the bowler and captain himself. When do they bowl themself, how much do they bowl? And that's why we perhaps don't see fast bowlers captaining international teams in test matches that much particularly in recent times," Giles said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Furthermore, Ashley Giles believes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has immense faith in Jasprit Bumrah's leadership qualities. In the absence of Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul, the pace sensation has emerged as the favourite option for the team management to lead the Indian team. 

The 28-year-old was the vice-captain for India when Sri Lanka toured the country in March.

"But clearly, the way India have used Bumrah as their vice-captain, they rate his leadership skills, they are trying to groom him in that responsibility so I think he'll be fine as he will also have some great guys around him," Giles concluded. 

While there are doubts regarding Bumrah's leadership skills, the seamer is confident. The Ahmedabad-born believes that this is the most significant achievement of his cricket career and is ready to take responsibility. Speaking about his strategy, Bumrah added that he is someone who follows his instincts.

"The taste of success feels good when there is pressure. I am always up for responsibilities and I love to be in tough challenges. As a cricketer, you always want to test yourself in deep waters.