Rohit Sharma, the skipper of Team India strongly supported the decision of elevating Jasprit Bumrah to the position of vice-captain for the three-Test series against New Zealand, which will commence from October 16. According to him, Bumrah was a very important part of the leadership group and he is someone who understands the game very profoundly. That his rise as vice-captain came somewhat as a surprise was something attested to by the fact that India had not been having a deputy in the recently played series against Bangladesh. A move deemed quite strategic, as it may propel Bumrah to the highest seat for the tour to Australia as the captain.
According to PTI, Rohit Sharma is likely to miss one of the Tests in Australia due to personal reasons, thus making the promotion of Bumrah all the more crucial.
Rohit Sharma Supports Bumrah’s Vice-Captaincy
“Look, Bumrah has played a lot of cricket. I’ve played a lot of cricket with him. He understands the game pretty well. He’s got a good head on his shoulder. When you talk to him, he understands the game,” Rohit told reporters during his pre-match press meet
“Tactically, I can’t say much because he has not captained much. He was captain in one Test match and a couple of T20s, I guess,” he added.
“He understands what is required. When you are in a situation where you need a leader to step up, I think Bumrah will be one of them. So, over the past, he’s always been in our leadership group,” said Rohit.
Jasprit Bumrah: A Mentor For Young Pacers
“Whether it is speaking to the bowlers who have just come into the squad, whether it is getting internally with the team to discuss about how to move forward as a team, he’s always been part of that leadership group.“
“So, it’s probably the right thing to just have him around and speak to the bowlers and internally discuss how to take the team forward,” added Rohit.
IND Vs NZ: Full Squad
Bumrah will be seen in action in the India vs New Zealand Test Series with the first Test that will be starting from October 16.
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Tom Blundell (wk), Kane Williamson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ajaz Patel, Will O’Rourke, Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Will Young.
