IND vs AUS: Rohit Sharma reveals why Shubman Gill was thrown out of vice-captaincy and replaced by Jasprit Bumrah

Indian captain Rohit Sharma opened up about rumors of Jasprit Bumrah captaining India in the first Test against Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).

Rohit Sharma praised Jasprit Bumrah for his leadership skills despite his limited captaincy experience in international and franchise cricket.

India will host the three-match Test series against New Zealand, which is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. The first Test will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from Wednesday, October 16. Bumrah will serve as vice-captain during the home series.

Jasprit Bumrah Is One Of The Experienced Players - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma attended a press conference before the first Test match. Rohit said that Bumrah plays a crucial role in guiding the bowling group and highlighted his active involvement in discussions during matches.

"He's one of the experienced players in the team. He has not captained a lot but whatever I have discussed with him, he is always there when it comes to talking with the bowling group, bowlers, or even for something during the match. It's good to have him around," Rohit said in the press conference.

Jasprit Bumrah's Captaincy Experience With Team India

Jasprit Bumrah's appointment as vice-captain for the New Zealand series gained attention with reports suggesting that Rohit Sharma might miss the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia due to personal reasons. The selectors didn't announce a vice-captain for the recent Bangladesh series.

Bumrah led India in the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston in 2022. He also captained the team in the three-match T20I series against Ireland last year. Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Shubman Gill have more IPL captaincy experience but are unlikely to take on leadership roles in Tests.

I've Played A Lot Of Cricket With Him - Rohit Sharma

According to PTI, Rohit Sharma is expected to miss at least one Test during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Rohit said that he has played a lot of cricket with Bumrah, who understands the game pretty well.

"Look, Bumrah has played a lot of cricket. I've played a lot of cricket with him. He understands the game pretty well. He's got a good head on his shoulder. When you talk to him, he understands the game," Rohit told reporters.

"Tactically, I can't say much because he has not captained much. He was captain in one Test match and a couple of T20s, I guess," he added.

Bumrah has climbed to the number one spot in the ICC Test bowling rankings. He surpassed his teammate Ravichandran Ashwin after taking an impressive 11 wickets in just two matches in the recent home Test series against Bangladesh. Bumrah now leads the rankings with a total of 870 points.

The team management might consider resting Bumrah from one or two matches in the upcoming series against New Zealand to keep him fresh for the highly anticipated series in Australia later this year.

Also read: Ben Sears ruled out of India Tests due to knee injury; Uncapped fast bowler named replacement