'He Has Not Captained Much But...': Rohit Sharma Justifies Bumrah's Promotion As His Deputy In Tests

Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma justified star pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s appointment as vice captain for the three-match Test series against New Zealand, which starts on Wednesday (October 15). According to Rohit, even though the 30-year-old cricketer, who sits at No. 1 position in the ICC Test bowler’s ranking, hasn’t captained much, he understands the game very well and has been part of India’s leadership group for a long time.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday ahead of the star of the first India-New Zealand Test at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Rohit said, “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.”

“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.

Burmah made his Test captaincy debut for India on July 1, 2022, during the rescheduled Test against England at Edgbaston, and in addition to that, he has also served as India’s captain in two T20Is against Ireland last year.

“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.

The news of Bumrah’s appointment as vice captain came at a time when it has been reported that Rohit might miss one of the five Tests against Australia next month due to personal reasons.

If Rohit misses out, then going by the trend of vice captain stepping in, Bumrah will lead India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rohit, who has won seven out of eight Tests as captain in 2024, praised Bumrah and said he has seamlessly moved to the role of a mentor to the young pacers in the team.

“Whether it is speaking to the bowlers who have just come into the squad or getting internally with the team to discuss 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.