Tactically, I can't say much because Bumrah has not captained much: Rohit

India have appointed Jasprit Bumrah as vice-captain for the three-match Test series against New Zealand, starting on October 16 (Wednesday) in Bengaluru. The position was left unoccupied during Bangladesh Tests. 

His appointment as a vice-captain is crucial in the context of Rohit being in doubt to play the first Test of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia in Perth due to personal reasons. If that happens, Bumrah, Rohit’s deputy, will be the team's skipper. 

Bumrah has captained India in the past on a couple of occasions. The ace paceman led India in the delayed Test against England in 2022 and also captained the team in a couple of T20Is when they went to Ireland.

Talking about the appointment, Rohit said: "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.

"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.”

Rohit admitted that Bumrah is already part of the leadership group and mentors all the young seamers. "He understands what is required. When you are in a situation where you need a leader to step up, I think Bumrah will be one of them. So, over the past, he's always been in our leadership group.

"Whether it is speaking to the bowlers who have just come into the squad, whether it is getting internally with the team to discuss about how to move forward as a team, he's always been part of that leadership group. So, it's probably the right thing to just have him around and speak to the bowlers and internally discuss how to take the team forward.”

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