Greg Chappell hails ‘smart guy’ Bumrah

Greg Chappell at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday. Pic/Amit Shah; (right) Jasprit Bumrah. Pic/Getty Images

It was the 17th over of India's second innings at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday when Sunil Gavaskar, seated comfortably in the Channel 7 commentary box, confidently predicted how Rishabh Pant would approach the next few deliveries. Gavaskar believed Pant would bide his time, playing a few balls cautiously before going for an attacking shot. Barely a ball later, Pant turned the tables with a jaw-dropping reverse hook over the slip cordon for four, leaving Gavaskar - and his co-commentators - momentarily speechless.

An hour earlier, Australian cricketing legend Greg Chappell was in the press box, sharing his thoughts on modern-day innovative shot-making in Test cricket with a group of travelling Indian journalists.

"Sunny [Sunil Gavaskar] and I would never have thought about playing that shot," Chappell remarked with a chuckle. "And certainly not without a helmet." He was referencing not just Pant's audacious innovation but also Nitish Reddy's reverse scoop in the first innings - another reminder of how much cricket has evolved since his playing days.

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The topic soon shifted to India's spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah, and how a batter from Chappell and Gavaskar's era might have tackled such a relentless bowler who attacks the stumps a lot. "Bumrah is an extremely accurate bowler, always attacking the stumps," Chappell said. "Against him, I'd focus on showing the full face of the bat. My thought process was always to play straight - not necessarily hitting straight, but staying in a neutral position to react to wherever the ball was delivered."

Chappell's approach, grounded in patience and precision, offered a stark contrast to today's aggressive style of batting. "If Bumrah bowled slightly short, I might have played square of the wicket, but the key is to react appropriately to each ball," he explained. "I always believed in playing each delivery on its merit - letting the bowler come to us rather than chasing the game. Against someone like Bumrah, that approach would have been critical."

However, Chappell was not critical of modern-day shots; he was merely illustrating the thought process of batters from his era. The conversation wasn't limited to Bumrah's bowling. Chappell also shared his thoughts on Bumrah's leadership potential, especially as a fast-bowling captain in Test cricket.

"He's a smart guy and understands the game," Chappell said. "I don't have a problem with fast-bowling captains. Over the years, the concern has been their workload - playing five matches [in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy] in seven weeks can be grueling - but someone like Pat Cummins has shown it can be done with the right support system."

Chappell pointed out that Bumrah's leadership abilities could flourish under similar conditions and if the situation demands, the Indian think-tank can seriously consider him as an option for the Test captaincy.