New Delhi, India

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden revealed that MS Dhoni had once identified Jasprit Bumrah's abilities as a 'potential captain'. Hayden, who played under former India captain Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL, stated that Dhoni had mentioned Bumrah's leadership qualities. Notably, Bumrah is set to lead India in the first Test versus Australia in Perth, i.e. the series opener of the upcoming 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bumrah will lead India for the second time in Tests after regular captain Rohit Sharma is out of action due to paternity leave.

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Hayden, a Channel 7 commentator, responded to India Today's query in a virtual presser and said, "From what I understand, not knowing Bumrah on the field as such, not even having played against him, but coming from a great friend and mentor of mine in MS Dhoni, he’s got leadership qualities as well. In fact, he was touted by MS many years ago as a potential captain."

He further opined, "Off the field, I have spent a large amount of time with Jasprit, he’s intelligent, well-organised and constructive in his comments on the game, which for me reveals he’s got good leadership instincts, and they will come to the fore captaining a very excited and extremely optimistic team coming here, and I’m sure he will be up for it."

Bumrah has led India once in Tests, versus England in Edgbaston in July 2022. Despite a healthy lead, India went on to lose the match by seven wickets.

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Hayden lauded Bumrah for stepping up for India in crunch situations. He mentioned that despite not playing a lot like Rohit and Virat Kohli, Bumrah has played like a “stalwart” of Indian cricket and praised him for his bowling in the Perth Test in 2018, which India lost by 146 runs. 

The former opener stated, "When you think about Jasprit Bumrah, you think he’s probably played 80 to 100 Tests. It just seems like he’s been a stalwart of Indian cricket across all three formats. The reality is he has played 40 Tests and that’s a lot of cricket, but it’s not Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and other names that have played a lot more amongst the stalwarts of Indian cricket."

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"Bumrah will lead with the ball just like Pat Cummins. He took five wickets in Perth in a losing cause. He is going to lead from the front, the better he bowls, the better his team gets into a position of dominance, and he can expose many players because of his immense talent,” Hayden added.

The first Test gets underway on Friday (Nov. 22) at the Perth Stadium, Perth.