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Australia captain Pat Cummins didn't hold back from expressing his excitement about seeing another pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, leading the India side for the Border Gavaskar Trophy series opener in Perth on Friday.
A pacer leading a side has been a rare feat to see in Test cricket or even other formats. But the Optus Stadium will witness a surreal moment with two modern-day fast-bowling sensations, Bumrah and Cummins, captaining their respective sides in a battle for bragging rights. Cummins has led Australia to new heights since taking over the captaincy in the ODI and Test formats. As a fan of fast bowling, the 31-year-old advocated for more fast bowlers to captain a side while referencing Tim Southee's stint as New Zealand Test skipper. "Yeah, great to see. It should happen more (bowlers being captains, Bumrah). The New Zealand series last year was good, with Tim Southee as captain as well. Yeah, so, yeah, I do not think it really changes too much again, but it is one of those rare things. So, yeah, looking forward to seeing how he goes about his work out there. But, as a fan of fast bowling, it is always good to see," Cummins said in the pre-match press conference in Perth on Thursday. Bumrah's views were in sync with his counterpart, singing a verse in praise of Cummins for the "phenomenal job" he has done for Australia. "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 a lot of other captains in the past. Hopefully, a start of a new tradition," Bumrah said. While Cummins has garnered success as Australia's Test skipper, Bumrah, on the other hand, is still new to the thrill and experience of leading a side when stakes are running high. The A-lister emerged as the ideal candidate to take up the role after Rohit Sharma was unavailable to feature in Perth due to personal reasons. This will be the second instance of Bumrah leading the side following his spell in 2022 against England. His debut stint, which now appears to be a distant memory, saw India being pummelled by England's 'Bazball'. In the upcoming Test, he would be keen to write off that memory by lifting India to victory, which has been a rare sight for the visitors in Perth. (ANI)
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