"Have spoken to MS Dhoni, he told me that he captained India straightaway" - Jasprit Bumrah on lack of leadership experience

Team India’s captain for the Birmingham Test, Jasprit Bumrah, has asserted that he will try to contribute to the best of his ability as leader. On his lack of experience, he pointed out that even MS Dhoni captained India directly but went on to become a highly successful leader.

On Thursday, the BCCI ended the suspense over Rohit Sharma’s availability for the rescheduled Test against England by confirming Bumrah as the captain for the match and Rishabh Pant as the vice-captain. Rohit has been officially ruled out due to COVID-19.

At a press conference after being named India’s 36th Test captain, Bumrah shared his views on the challenges of leading India. Opening up about his interaction with Dhoni, he said:

“I have spoken to MS Dhoni, he told me that he captained India straightaway, he had never captained anywhere else and he is one of the most successful captains.”

Admitting that he is pleased to be given the honor of leading the country, the 28-year-old added:

"See, you always want the responsibility. You play cricket for that responsibility. When there is pressure, the taste of success feels good. I love to be in tough challenges and this is nothing different. Yeah, (about) captaincy, I have spoken to a lot of players, everybody improves and they keep getting better. I am just focusing on how to help the team and not on what I have done before."

NEWS 🚨 - @Jaspritbumrah93 to lead #TeamIndia in the fifth Test Match against England.

@RishabhPant17 will be the vice-captain for the match.

#ENGvIND https://t.co/ueWXfOMz1L

On how his role will change from being the leader of the pace attack to captain of the team, Bumrah explained that he will be a lot more involved in the game now. He elaborated:

"Of course (as a bowler), it is great that sometimes when you are at fine-leg, you could go away from the game. But this time, I have got an opportunity to be involved in the game all the time, be active. I told my family about me leading the country, it is a massive achievement and I am very happy. Now, I am focusing on the work we have to do.”

The Gujarat fast bowler has played 29 Test matches, in which he has claimed 123 wickets at an average of 21.73.

“We were waiting for Rohit's confirmation” - Jasprit Bumrah on delay in naming him as captain

There was a lot of confusion on Wednesday (June 28) over India’s captain for the Birmingham Test. Some reports claimed that Bumrah had been picked as captain. However, head coach Rahul Dravid later clarified that a final decision had not been made.

Opening up about what transpired behind the scenes, Bumrah said:

"So we were waiting for an announcement, we were waiting for Rohit's confirmation. We did a test today morning. He tested positive in that test, so there was a discussion with the coach and it was announced that I would lead.”

Test MODE 🔛 🤍

#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND https://t.co/LJBzTWDaIp

When he takes the field on Friday, Bumrah will become the first fast bowler since Kapil Dev in 1987 to lead India in a Test match.