Paarl, ODI vice captain Jasprit Bumrah on Monday said if he is given a chance, he is ready to don the captain's hat, if not he is very pleased to assist captain KL Rahul as his deputy in the ODI series.
"If given an opportunity it would be an honor, I don’t think any player would say no to captaincy," he said in a virtual press conference, responding to a query whether he would accept captaincy in future.
However, in his present capacity as the vice captain, Bumrah said he will help Rahul as much as he wants in the field and share his ideas as a bowler and field placements, which he always did when he was not the vice captain.
"I will not only be pleased to assist KL as his deputy, but also give tips on bowling and field placements to youngsters. That is the same role I have to do again and I am trying to do that as well," he stated.
Replying to a query, Bumrah said leadership changes do not make any difference as primarily players focus on their contribution to the team. "I cannot speak for everyone. But, for me, I can say that it doesn't really make a lot of difference. What is constant is the change, so we are happy. I don't think any of us is facing a problem with leadership changes," he said.
The comments came in the wake of BCCI appointing KL Rahul in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who was appointed as the white-ball captain, replacing Virat Kohli.
No player is thinking about leadership changes, but are focussed on what contribution they can make to the team, Bumrah said.
On Virat Kohli quitting Test captaincy, he said he had told the team about it after the Cape Town Test and he respects his decision. "After the Cape Town Test, Virat told us about his resignation as Test captain. That is his decision and one should respect it. He knows his body. He knows his frame of mind. It’s been a pleasure to play under his captaincy. I made my debut under him," he said.
Though he has quit captaincy, he will still be an asset to the team, Bumrah said. "He brought in energy. He brought in the fitness culture. He was driven. Everybody moved in one direction under his leadership. He has been immense and he will still be immense with his inputs," he said.
"The players understand the change and accordingly try to make positive contributions to that out of the sheer experience they have," Bumrah said.
About his approach for ODI series, he said players need to quickly assess the demands of the shorter format and adopt variations to make a mark. "One has to move forward. The shorter format is fast. As a bowler, you have to quickly assess and bring in variations. I am going with a fresh mindset and looking forward to contributing to the team," he said.
Replying to another query, Bumrah said keeping a vision on the road to the 2023 World Cup is very important.
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