MUMBAI, May 12 -- In November 2021, Pat Cummins was named the 47th Australia Test team captain, making him the first fast bowler to be appointed to the post. It was a step into the unknown for Australian cricket. Like with all fast bowlers, the main doubt was whether Cummins' body would be able to bear the bowling workload for him to be the long-term captaincy option, even be available for a full five-Test series. Four seasons on, Cricket Australia can look back with pride at what has proved a masterstroke. Under Cummins, the team has gone from strength to strength, and without performances being overshadowed by controversies. He won his first Test as skipper against a strong England at home, followed by a historic Test series win in Pakistan. The icing on the cake was the World Test Championship (WTC) final win and the ODI World Cup triumph, both against India, in 2023. Indian cricket officials face a similar dilemma. In ace fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, they have an excellent candidate for Test captaincy. But given the demands of fast bowling, can the decision-makers take a punt like Australia did? When Indian selectors sit down to decide on Rohit Sharma's successor for next month's five-Test series in England, can they ignore Bumrah's credentials over fitness concerns? In many cases, the outstanding player of the side is an automatic captaincy choice, whether he is a batter or bowler. In Indian cricket, the best player has been a batter or spinner. Kapil Dev was an exception and had a long reign as captain - 37 Tests. Pakistan didn't hesitate to make Imran Khan (48 Tests), Wasim Akram (25 Tests) and Waqar Younis (17 Tests) skippers. How the Ajit Agarkar-headed selection panel weighs the credentials of the candidates remains to be seen. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are being spoken of as front-runners, but does one look beyond Bumrah? The questions foremost while picking the captain is whether one is tactically better, or if he is a proven player in all conditions. In the first Test at Perth on the last Australia tour, Bumrah was impressive standing in for Rohit Sharma. Tactically he proved himself against Cummins, leading India to victory by inspiring the side's fightback with a spell of 5/30 in the first innings. Moreover, Bumrah is not a reluctant captain, having made it clear he wants to be a leader. One can point to Bumrah breaking down in the fifth Test in Sydney. But there is a difference between running on the hard grounds of Australia and the softer fields in England. In the last two series Bumrah played against England, away in 2022-21 and at home in 2023-24, he played nine of the 10 Tests. He was rested for the fourth Test in Ranchi with India 2-1 up and returned for the final game in Dharamsala. As a bowler, only Bumrah in the Indian attack has looked like he can knock off a batter every delivery. That is what he did in Australia, claiming 32 wickets in five Tests. He can single-handedly turn matches around. Even in the Sydney Test, till he broke down, the match and series were in the balance and it felt Bumrah on his own could turn the game India's way. He deserves to be rewarded for the way he put his body on the line in Australia. Due to a lack of support at the other end, Rohit ended up overusing him. So, will it be fair to ignore his claims after the effort he put in on that tour? That would be like punishing him. After the Perth Test win, experts pointed out how the energy of the team under Bumrah was very good. The one question is how will Bumrah handle his own bowling if he does not have incisive bowlers from the other end. But he can also be a transition captain, allowing Gill to gain confidence by doing well in England. With Rohit retired and Virat Kohli's availability for England in doubt, Gill must shoulder the responsibility as the batting lynchpin. He has great potential, but the one place he needs to prove himself is England. The team needs to trust a captain that he will give you runs. Gill's highest score in his three Tests in England is 28 (avg 14.67). This time he was short of runs in Australia too, averaging 18.60 in three Tests with a highest score of 31. Bumrah's confidence as a bowler though will be high. In the last series in England, he snared 23 wickets in five Tests. He made things happen on the final day of the Oval Test. His searing spell of reverse swing to bowl Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow and prise open the game after England were 146/3 made for compelling viewing....