If Given An Opportunity, Will Be An Honour To Captain India, But Won't Chase It: Jasprit Bumrah

Indian team’s vice-captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa Jasprit Bumrah has said that he is focused on doing his job and not chasing captaincy of the team full-time. His statements came as the team switches to white-ball mode with KL Rahul captaining the side in absence of Rohit Sharma.

India and South Africa will lock horns in a three-match ODI series, with the first match set to be played on Wednesday in Paarl. Earlier, the Proteas had defeated India 2-1 in the Test series. Bumrah however, said that he would be honored to get the captaincy of the Indian team, but is not chasing the job specifically.

“For me, I am ready to contribute in whatever position and way I can. If given an opportunity to lead India, you will think about it. It is not something that I like to chase, I like to do my work, however, I can do the job. Me having a post or not does not really matter. That has always been my process and what I look to do. If given an opportunity, there is a no bigger honour than this but yeah, I try to focus on how I can contribute,” said Bumrah during a virtual press conference.

The second ODI will also be played in Paarl on January 21 and the third ODI in Cape Town on January 23.

You Always Want The Responsibility: Jasprit Bumrah On His Role As Vice-Captain

Jasprit Bumrah was named the vice-captain of the team after KL Rahul was promoted to the captaincy role as Rohit Sharma missed the South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury. Bumrah has been part of the leadership group for some time now, given that he heads the Indian pace attack.

Further talking about his role as vice-captain, Bumrah said: “You always want the responsibility. If there is no responsibility or pressure, you would not enjoy the game. I try to manage the responsibility and contribute to the side’s cause. I am a keen learner, when I came into the team, I always asked questions. I try to help out the youngsters and eradicate their doubts. Sometimes I also end up learning from them.”

When asked about how he would approach the ODIs against South Africa, Bumrah said: “Obviously you have to move forward, it is a different format of the game. The pace of the game changes, the load on the body reduces as well. It is a shorter format at, faster pace. As a bowler, you have to quickly assess and vary your pace accordingly.”

This will be the first ODI series with Virat Kohli not captaining India on a full-time basis.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma Set To Return For Home Series vs West Indies – Reports