Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has backed Jasprit Bumrah to emerge as India's leading wicket-taker in the Test series against Australia but also expressed worry for Rohit Sharma if that happens. Clarke, the former Australian World Cup-winning captain, believes that if Rohit misses the first Test – which is pretty much confirmed – and Bumrah has a spectacular outing in Perth, it may just put the India skipper's captaincy crown in danger.

Bumrah has captained India in just one Test thus far – against England in Birmingham two years ago. In the absence of Rohit, who failed to recover in time from Covid, India, under Bumrah, lost the match. The following year, Bumrah captained India in two T20Is against Ireland, returning victorious. Bumrah hasn't captained India in any game since. A school of thought feels Virat Kohli should lead India given his experience, but with the captain unavailable, it's usually the vice-captain who steps out, paving the way for Bumrah's second Test as captain.

Something similar happened during the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After playing the Adelaide Test, Kohli returned home, and deputy Ajinkya Rahane captained India in a historic series win in Australia. The only difference is that Rohit is expected to return in time for the second Test, linking up with his teammates in Adelaide for the Day/Night pink-ball Test match.

The added responsibility of captaincy is sure to bring the best out of Bumrah, reckons Clarke, and the former Australian captain feels that if India can land the first punch to Australia in Perth, it might just question Rohit's position as skipper in the next four matches.

"Bumrah… leading wicket-taker for India. I think these expectations of how good he is are going to bring the best out of him. Some people can shy away from it; I don’t think he will. I think he will get better. And if he captains the first Test, that will inspire him to lead from the front. I will be nervous. I will be worrying if I was Rohit Sharma coming to Australia," Clarke said in an interview with TAB YouTube channel.

Michael Clarke identifies two players as key for India against Australia

Besides Bumrah, Clarke feels Kohli and Rishabh Pant's forms are key if India are to stand a chance of beating Australia a third straight time in their den. The world is aware of the beastly record Kohli holds in Australia, while Pant established himself as a household name the last time India were Down Under playing Tests – playing scintillating knocks in Sydney and Gabba.

"Virat Kohli's record in Australia in phenomenal. I actually think his record is better than what it is in India. I think he's got six hundreds in 13 Tests in Australia. If India are to win this series, it has to be Virat Kohli leading run-scorer with Rishabh Pant just behind," said Clarke, who led Australia to the 2015 World Cup win and was Australia's captain the last time they beat India in a Test series.

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