NEW DELHI: India pacer Jasprit Bumrah hailed the leadership of two veteran cricketers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, after the Blues ended an 11-year ICC trophy drought by lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
Bumrah was key to India’s success in the tournament as he took 15 wickets and was also named player of the tournament for his heroics, especially in the final when all hope was lost for Sharma’s men.
The speedster was asked how his favorite Indian captain was doing, which he cheerfully chose.
“My favorite captain is me because I have captained several matches. Of course there are great captains but I will take my name. I am my favorite captain,” Bumrah said.
After laughing it off, Bumrah went on to praise Sharma for the way he led the team. Especially during the five Tests against England where India fielded several youngsters.
“In the recent England series, when the youngsters came in, Rohit made the atmosphere very pleasant,” Bumrah said. “He’s made an extra effort; he’ll take them out; he’ll talk to them about the game; he’ll try to make them take responsibility because the youngsters should think that everyone is equally important; there’s no senior or junior.
“A captain has to have empathy with the bowlers and Rohit Sharma is one of the few captains who has empathy with the bowlers.
“When I was playing in the IPL as well, I even used to go around and tell Rohit that ‘You make the pitch, I will bowl this ball. You set the field and I trust you to do whatever you feel is right. You set the stage,” revealed Bumrah about his early days with Mumbai Indians.
Temper also welcomed Kohli, who retired after winning the T20 World Cup, saying he brings energy and passion to the team.
“Virat is driven by energy. He is quite passionate, he wears his heart on his sleeves. He pushed us in terms of fitness. He changed the narrative. Even though Virat is not the captain, he is still a leader,” Bumrah said of the 35-year-old.
