India vs Australia: It was a light-hearted question that gave an insight into the mind of India’s stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah on the eve of the opening Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy series here. “If all things go well, when Rohit Sharma comes back for the Adelaide Test, will you tell him, ‘Rohit bhai, rehne do, I shall carry on the captaincy?!’ Bumrah smiled and said, “No no, I can’t tell Rohitbhai that. I am always in the present moment. Let’s see what happens in the future”.

It’s that present-moment awareness that is Bumrah’s standout feature. It’s not some diplomatic throwaway press-conference line, it’s his philosophy as a bowler, player, and something he has chatted about at length in the past. It’s exactly what this vulnerable Indian team needs to do if they are to survive the Perth trial by fire. It’s what makes Bumrah the ideal replacement for the regular skipper Rohit. Go out there and think on their feet – that could perhaps be the best way out for this team that is teeming with absences, injuries, and lack of form.

Bumrah has no recent baggage of defeats nor does he have a tendency to zealously over-prepare. Bumrah’s inclination to rely on instincts could well be the way out for this young vulnerable team of men facing their most arduous challenge yet.

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Captain Jasprit Bumrah is charged ???? to lead from the front in Perth ⚡️⚡️#TeamIndia | #AUSvIND | @Jaspritbumrah93 pic.twitter.com/0voNU7p014

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 21, 2024

A few months back, Bumrah was a guest at The Indian Express Adda event in his home town Ahmedabad. It was days after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies. Unlike the hurried pre-match press meet at Perth, he was at peace back then.

It was here that India’s most-trusted player had spoken about his process and his willingness to lead India.

Bumrah had also shared the secret behind those magical balls that have shaped his career and made him a captaincy candidate. It was all about not thinking too far ahead or being over-prepared. “You are not going to create magic moments sitting and thinking about it … The game will give you magic moments but you have to be in the present, in that game and think about what I have to do and how I can help the team.”

Even on his first official day as India captain in this important series, it’s that state of relaxedness and ability to sink into a moment that stood out. Bumrah’s demeanour didn’t betray any nervousness or over-eagerness that can often accompany someone who has been pushed into a role as stand-in captain. It seemed as if he was ever-ready to do this, all natural and as if he had been doing it for a while now.

He said the right things at the press conferences. “We are smarter than the batsmen! … I am an instinctive person as a bowler too and I shall continue doing that as a captain.”

In recent times, there have been two standout incidents of that trusting instinct and making the right decision. The first one, often forgotten because of the end result of the game, came in the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad. Australia were in total control of the chase when Bumrah returned for a spell against Steve Smith.

The Australian had shown no inclination, no sign to overtly attack at that point and there were several deliveries Bumrah could have gone for: a yorker, a bouncer, a leg-cutter, the sharp nip-backer but fascinatingly he chose a slower off-cutter. Smith was so startled even as he pressed forward to defend that he didn’t know what to do. He sort of pushed his hands out towards the ball but the off-cutter wasn’t chosen just for the slowness of the pace but also for its nature to almost break into the right-hander like an off-break. And it snaked in to trap him LBW. It was an utterly stunning way to remove one of the great batsmen of our times.

Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah has discussed India’s playing XI and filling in for Rohit Sharma ahead of the start of the crucial Test series against Australia on Friday ????#AUSvIND | #WTC25https://t.co/Ty5SxlbMU7

— ICC (@ICC) November 21, 2024

The second, more popular, came against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in New York and to Mohammad Rizwan who was in total control of that chase. Yet again, Bumrah had come back for a late spell and again, of all the options at his disposal, he went for the slower one. It was sensational in its origin. There were questions too. Why would he think a batsman would go for a high-risk option against the best opposition bowler at that stage, when he didn’t have many balls left? And why take a risk on the first ball of the over? But Bumrah backed his instincts.

At the Adda, Bumrah spoke about that particular magic moment too. “I understood his (Rizwan’s) thought process. If he would have hit me, then you know it dents our confidence,” Bumrah had said.

“I was thinking that he might look to hit me because it makes a statement – if he hits me, it would help their confidence and the pressure would come to us.”

But why the slower ball and not his other trusted weapons – the pin-point accurate yorker or the pacy length ball? That’s because Bumrah prefers to stay in the here-and-now. He had realised that Rizwan was going to go for the all-out shot. The Pakistan batsman was searching for his ‘magic moment’, his mind was in the ‘let me become a hero here’ mode. Rizwan wanted that heroism; Bumrah’s art is everything against seeking magic just for the sake of it.

Bumrah thinks on his feet. It’s something he had shown on his arrival at the Adda. Ahmedabad’s notorious traffic had slightly delayed his arrival at a five-star hotel. Flashing a pleasant smile, Bumrah, after surveying the foyer crowded with eager local fans, had a quick word with his manager.

Apparently, the last time Bumrah was at the same venue, he was mobbed while on the way out. This time he didn’t want a repeat. Wiser by experience and blessed with a mind that constantly assesses situations and finds solutions, a quick getaway plan was put in place.

A small glass-door side-exit next to the event hall was used to leave the hotel and the driver was instructed to park his SUV just there. It all went well and Bumrah was home without getting stuck in a situation. At Perth too, he would be thinking on his feet.