'Not going to tell Rohit that I'll lead': Jasprit Bumrah says he has discussed India captaincy

Rohit Sharma has well and truly landed in Australia, and he is all set to lead India in the second Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. Jasprit Bumrah might have led the visitors to a 295-run win in Perth in the absence of Rohit, but he isn't going to tell his Mumbai Indians teammate on how to lead the side going ahead Down Under. After India registered a memorable win, Bumrah was quite expectedly asked about Rohit's return and how it impacts the leadership dynamics. India's captain Rohit Sharma, right, and Jasprit Bumrah leave the field (AP)

However, answering the pointed question during the post-match press conference, Jasprit Bumrah made it quite clear that Rohit Sharma is the leader of this side, and it is his team.

"He is the captain of our side, he has done a phenomenal job. I was filling in for him, I had a discussion with him when he was India, we kept discussing how we are shaping up. I am not going to tell him that I am going to lead, but yeah, I am going to help him in whatever capacity I can," Bumrah said during the post-match press conference.

Jasprit Bumrah and co sealed a memorable win in Perth as they defeated Australia by 295 runs at the Optus Stadium to gain a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The contest now moves to Adelaide, where both the teams will play a pink-ball Test, beginning December 6.

Did Bumrah enjoy captaincy?

Jasprit Bumrah proved to the real game-changer in the match as he returned with eight wickets. His effort in the first innings where he took five wickets, helped India stage a remarkable turnaround despite being bundled out for 150 in the first innings.

Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah had led Team India in the rescheduled fifth Test against England in 2022, but the side had to face a defeat. However, in the second Test as a captain, Bumrah well and truly made it count.

When asked about how much he enjoyed captaincy, Bumrah said, “Pretty proud. This was my second game as the captain. We played well in the first innings of my debut game as captain in Birmingham as well, but England played really well in the second innings. You will always take learnings from that, really happy with the way we came back in this match.”

“Pretty happy with the way the batting shaped up and the bowlers, with the new bowling lineup as well. The biggest positive for me was that when we got out for 150, nobody in the dressing room was down. Everyone was confident that if we back our ability, we can also leave an impact. That going further will help us. This is a tough place to play cricket, but when you respond to pressure, it helps you in your career. ”

Bumrah also shared why this Test win is really special for him. “My son is also here, I'll share it with him. I'll remember this for a while.”

“He is very young of course but I have stories to tell him when he grows. I can tell him he was in the stands when India won an important win,” he added.

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