Captain confirmed as India pacer returns as stand-in skipper for final Australia Test

Sure enough, Bumrah answered those questions by delivering a Player of the Match performance in Perth. Ravi Shastri also felt that the game demonstrated Bumrah’s readiness to take on the captaincy going forward.

“I definitely think he’s passed that test (of captaincy). In his case, it’s up to him. In that sense, (for) a fast bowler, it’s never easy. It takes its toll. How much does he want bowling?

“What I found out (from the Perth game) was not just the way he bowled or the way he was inspired with that captaincy tag, but the way he understood the other bowlers in the team and used them. So it’s going to be a learning curve, you won the first test, but no captain suddenly becomes a great captain in just two or three matches.

“But the fact that he has now experienced as we said before the first Test, he understands his own game, he is confident in his own game. There is no uncertainty when it comes to his own position. He is a guaranteed player in XI. All those boxes are ticked, so it makes sense.”