"He gave me a lot of security" - Jasprit Bumrah on making his Team India debut under MS Dhoni's captaincy
Jasprit Bumrah made his Team India debut in January 2016 during the Men in Blue's tour of Australia. The speedster recently spoke about how MS Dhoni, who was the captain at that time, gave him a lot of security.
The 30-year-old stated that he was a bit nervous when he reached Australia and didn't know how to approach Dhoni. Bumrah suggested that the 2011 World Cup-winning captain preferred backing his instincts over investing a lot of time in planning.
Speaking about MS Dhoni, here's what Bumrah said on The Indian Express' Express Adda show (from 1:00:54):
"He (Dhoni) gave me a lot of security quickly. When I came to Australia, I had just taken a flight and I didn't know anyone. How do you talk to MS Dhoni first time? You are suddenly playing a game and not practiced with the team. He is one of the guys who has a lot of faith in his instincts and doesn't believe in a lot of planning."
Bumrah also played a lot of international cricket under Virat Kohli's captaincy. He commented that during Kohli's stint, there was a lot of focus on fitness, adding (from 1:01:23):
"Virat is energy-driven. He is quite passionate and wears his heart on his sleeve. He pushed us in terms of fitness, he changed the narrative that way."
Jasprit Bumrah was India's standout performer with the ball in their 2024 T20 World Cup-winning campaign. He was adjudged the Player of the Tournament as he finished with 15 wickets from eight matches at an economy rate of 4.17.
"Has a lot of empathy" - Jasprit Bumrah on Rohit Sharma's leadership
Jasprit Bumrah remarked that Rohit Sharma, as a captain, is very empathic and understands his teammates' emotions well. Bumrah has played under Sharma's captaincy for a lengthy period in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and their partnership has been a big success in international cricket as well.
Shedding light on Sharma's leadership style, Bumrah said on the aforementioned show (1:01:33):
"Rohit has a lot of empathy and understands players' emotions and what the players are going through."
Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is following India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Suryakumar Yadav was named as the team's new captain for the 20-over format, while Shubman Gill was appointed as the vice-captain.
Speaking about what Suryakumar and Gill can learn from Sharma, Bumrah remarked (1:03:01):
"There's so much to learn. How he has evolved as captain. You will obviously make mistakes. Captaincy is full of mistakes and then you get better. So, he has learned from his mistakes. He is open to feedback and is not rigid. He will listen to everyone, but will then eventually filter it out and realize what works for him. He has a lot of empathy. he understands bowlers as well."
Team India are set to take on Sri Lanka in three T20Is and as many ODIs. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the tour.