Courtesy: X
Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik heaped praises on Jasprit Bumrah, comparing him with the “Kohinoor Diamond,” due to his impressive exploits with the ball in international and franchise cricket. The 39-year-old also spoke about the credentials of Jasprit Bumrah in regards to Indian captaincy, stating that it can be a burden on him because of the packed international schedule.
Notably, Jasprit Bumrah has captained India in a Test match in the absence of Rohit Sharma, which his team lost to England in Birmingham in July 2022. On his return from injury, the Indian pacer was given the responsibility to lead the national team during a three-match T20I series against Ireland last year in Malahide, which they won 2-0.
During his exclusive interview with Cricbuzz, when a fan asked Dinesh Karthik about the potential of Jasprit Bumrah becoming the Indian captain, he responded, as per Times of India, “Calm, cool, most importantly good maturity... but he's a fast bowler. So how can we play him in all three formats? That is the biggest question the selectors could have had.”
It is so important to protect him and play him in important matches: Dinesh Karthik on Jasprit Bumrah
He spoke about the importance of keeping Jasprit Bumrah fit for big matches in the Indian colours, especially with a busy international schedule.
Dinesh Karthik said, “Being a fast bowler, especially at Bumrah's level, it is so important to protect him and play him in important matches. I keep saying this about Bumrah, he is like a Kohinoor diamond – we have to protect him, take care of him, and ensure that he lasts as long as possible. Because whenever Bumrah plays, in any format, he makes an impact. That's what we want. To burden him with captaincy and then see him end up playing a lot of series and injuring himself would be a huge problem.”
Moreover, after playing three months of continuous T20 cricket for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024, followed by the T20 World Cup 2024 campaign of the Indian cricket team, Jasprit Bumrah is currently on a much-deserved rest. He could make his return to international cricket when India takes on Bangladesh in a two-match Test series next month.
