India pacer Jasprit Bumrah lauded the leadership skills of two veteran cricketers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, after the Blues ended their 11-year-long ICC trophy drought by lifting T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies.
Bumrah was key to India’s success in the tournament as he bagged 15 wickets and was also named the Player of the Tournament due to his heroics, especially in the final when all hopes were lost for Sharma’s men.
The speedster was asked how his favourite Indian captain is to which he hilariously picked himself.
"My favourite captain is me because I have captained a few games. Obviously, there are great captains, but I will take my name. I am my favourite captain," Bumrah told The Indian Express.
After sharing some laughter, Bumrah went on to praise Sharma for the way he has been leading the team. Especially during the five-Test against England where India played several youngsters.
"In the recent England series, when the youngsters came, Rohit made the atmosphere very comfortable,” Bumrah said. "He took extra effort; he will take them out; he will talk to them about the game; he will try and push them to take the responsibility, as the youngsters should think all are equally important; there is no senior or junior.
"A captain needs to have empathy towards bowlers and Rohit Sharma is one of the few captains who has empathy for bowlers.
“Playing in the IPL as well, I even used to go and tell Rohit that 'You set the field, I am going to bowl this ball. You set the field, and I trust you whatever you feel is right. You set the field'," Bumrah revealed about his early days at Mumbai Indians.
The pacer also hailed Kohli, who retired after T20 World Cup win, saying that he brings energy and passion to the team.
"Virat is energy-driven. He is quite passionate, wears his heart on his sleeves. He pushed us in terms of fitness. He changed the narrative that way. Even though Virat is not the captain, he is still the leader," Bumrah said of the 35-year-old.
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Virat Kohli
