Rohit Sharma on Wednesday said he is happy to have Jasprit Bumrah as the vice-captain for the upcoming T20I and Test series against Sri Lanka, saying he doesn’t mind if a batter or a bowler is part of the leadership group. Bumrah was named as India’s vice-captain for the first time in the ODI series in South Africa earlier this year.
Bumrah will be Rohit’s deputy in the home series against Sri Lanka in the absence of KL Rahul who misses out due to an injury. In fact, Rahul was India’s vice-captain for the ODI series against West Indies at home earlier this month while Rishabh Pant took over as the vice-captain in the T20I series.
It is evident that the selection committee is looking to groom the likes of Rahul, Pant and Bumrah into leadership roles while they appointed Rohit as the captain for the team across all formats. While Rohit was named the limited-overs captain last year, he was handed over the role in Tests as well in the lead up to the Sri Lanka series.
“It doesn’t matter whether it is a batter or a bowler. What matters is the cricketing brain and he (Bumrah) has a good brain. I know him well and I understand what kind of cricketing brain he has,” Rohit said on the eve of the 1st T20i against Sri Lanka in Lucknow.
“Good for him to step into the leadership role. He has taken his game to the next level. I’m sure he would like to do this further. This role will add more confidence in what he’s going to do. It’s nice to have him as the vice-captain of the team,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rohit also highlighted that the trio of Bumrah, Rahul and Pant will be in consideration for leadership roles in the team. Notably, India are looking to identify captaincy candidates after Virat Kohli’s tenure. Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain earlier this year after the team lost 2-1 in South Africa. He was sacked as ODI captain, months after he quit T20I captaincy role last year.
“If you talk about Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, these guys have a crucial role to play in the future for Indian cricket. They are also seen as possible contenders for leadership,” he added.
