"Need Him More As Bowler Rather Than Captain": Rahul Dravid On Jasprit Bumrah

Having not led previously ever in a first-class game, Jasprit Bumrah has been thrown in to the deep end of the water as he is leading Team India in the crucial rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Bumrah was given over the reins after Rohit Sharma tested positive for COVID-19 once again on Thursday morning. Team India head coach Rahul Dravid said that he has had conversations with Bumrah, and the side would need him more as a bowler rather than captain.

"He is a thoughtful individual; he thinks about the game. He understands the game quite well, he understands his bowling exceptionally well. He is keen and he is always having conversations about the game. Also, I think he commands the respect of the team and I think it is an important thing as the leader. He ticks that box as well. the tactical side of things, the captaincy side of things, the bowling changes," Dravid said in a chat with Sanjana Ganesan on the Sony Sports Network.

"He is only going to get better. He has not captained a lot so it is going to be challenge but we will support him through that. It is not easy for a fast bowler to captain as well considering the fact that he has to look after his own bowling, he has got to set fields while he is bowling. I have had a couple of conversations in the last couple of days, we probably need him more as a bowler rather than a captain. Captaincy is something, the more you do, the better you get," he added.

England have been playing an attacking brand of cricket and this approach saw them winning 3-0 against New Zealand earlier this month. Dravid said that he is not thinking about what the opposition is doing, and the focus is on his own team.

"I mean yeah, there has been a lot of talk about England's style of batting. I am looking forward to it, the quality in our seam department is something we take a lot of pride in. In the last 4-5 years, we have developed a strong group of fast bowlers who can bowl in all kind of conditions," said Dravid.

"It is going to be an exciting contest; our boys are ready for it. The focus is on ourselves rather than what they are going to do. It is about bowling the balls in the right areas. We back ourselves, if they have the ability to hit the good balls, then good luck to them," he added.

India are currently leading the five-match series 2-1 and if they manage to win or draw this Test, it would be the first time since 2007 that India would win a Test series in England.  

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Cheteshwar Pujara Jasprit Bumrah Rahul Dravid England vs India, 2022 Cricket