India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah made a hilarious comment to a journalist’s question during the press conference ahead of the first Test of the BGT 2024 to be played in Perth from November 22. Bumrah will be captaining India in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who is on paternal leave.
During the press conference, a journalist asked Bumrah how he felt about captaining India as a "medium pace all-rounder".
"How does it feel to captain India as a medium-pace all-rounder?" the reporter asked.
Bumrah responded quickly with a funny remark, claiming that he can bowl 150kmph and hence deserves to be called "fast bowler captain".
"Yaar, I can bowl 150kmph, at least you say, fast bowler captain," Bumrah quickly responded.
When asked about captaining India in Tests for the second time, Bumrah stated that he loves the responsibility of leading the team.
"I don't look at captaincy as a post but I have always loved responsibility. I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child. You want to do things and get thrown into tough scenarios, this adds a new challenge for me,” Bumrah said.
He understands that it is only for one Test match, and despite his best efforts to pretend to enjoy the situation, it was clear that he would love to take on a leadership role in the future.
"Obviously, I won't be telling Rohit ki main kar leta hoon (I would do this) (laughs). He is our captain and he is doing a wonderful job right now it's one game and you don't know what will happen tomorrow," Bumrah said.
"In the next game, things change and that's how cricket works. Right now, I am in the present. I have been given a responsibility. I did it once and enjoyed it thoroughly. I am thinking about how I can contribute to the best of my capacity. Future, I can't control it,” he added.
Bumrah is also aware that trying to emulate someone else's leadership style is ineffective.
"You have to find your own way as you can't blindly copy anyone. Virat and Rohit have been very successful and have gotten results but my way is that I have always never followed a copybook plan. And even with my bowling you can see, I go with my instincts and that's how I have always played my cricket. I have a lot of faith in my guts and instincts," Bumrah said.
Jasprit Bumrah stated that he has always considered himself the group's leader.
"I am always wanting to add more when Rohit is there and when Virat is there. I tried to learn from them and when I became a senior player, and new guys started coming in, I started passing on information.
That's how I look at it. It feels good and there is no greater honor than leading your country. I have always wanted to play this format, and very few players have played this format, and captains are even less, so I am very privileged and happy to be in this position,” the pacer added.
(ANI/PTI inputs)
