As Jasprit Bumrah sets out for the toss in the first T20I against Ireland on Friday (August 18), he will become the first fast bowler to lead India in T20Is. Bumrah, who has captained India in Test format against England, will now make his debut as T20I captain in Dublin. The pacer has been entrusted with leadership role because India’s first-choice T20 captain Hardik Pandya has been rested from the series owing to workload management.
The pacer will be the 11th captain to lead India in the shortest format. Since the time Men in Blue made its debut in T20Is in 2006, there have majorly been batters, wicketkeepers, and all-rounders as captains. The reluctance of giving fast bowlers captaincy was broken by Australia when they made Pat Cummins captain in 2021.
Bumrah will lead a second-string team comprising players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and other IPL players.
The pacer is the most experienced player in this young team, which will look to showcase their skills against a resurgent Ireland.
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Jasprit Bumrah: How many players have captained India in T20Is?
Before Bumrah, ten players have led India in T20Is starting from 2006. Virender Sehwag was the first player from India to lead in T20Is in 2006. Then MS Dhoni-led India in 72 T20Is. After Dhoni, Suresh Raina led briefly in three T20Is in 2010-11. CSK star Ajinkya Rahane also led the country in two T20Is in 2015.
Later, Kohli was announced as full-time captain in 2017, leading India in 50 T20Is. After Kohli quit T20I captaincy, Rohit Sharma took over, captaining India in 51 T20Is.
Dhawan led a second-string team in three T20Is in 2021. Pant captained a full T20 series against South Africa in 2022, leading India in five matches. Hardik Pandya has led in 16 T20Is till now, and KL Rahul has led India once in T20Is. All of the above were batters, all-rounders, or wicketkeepers.
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