PERTH: Jasprit Bumrah has always loved responsibility and taking on tough jobs which is why he is relishing the prospect of leading India against fierce rivals Australia in a much-anticipated Test series opener in their backyard.
This is the second time that Bumrah will captain the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma after the Edgbaston Test against England in 2022, and the 30-year-old would like to skin the cat in his own way.
"I don't look at captaincy as a post but I have always loved responsibility," Bumrah said at a press conference ahead of the first Test.
"I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child. You want to do things and get thrown in tough scenarios, this adds a new challenge for me," India's pace spearhead said, summing up his feelings about leadership.
He knows it is for only one Test match and as much as he tried to portray that he wants to be in the present, there was no denying that he would want a leadership role in future.
"Obviously, I won't be telling Rohit ki main kar leta hoon (I would do this) (laughs). He is our captain and he is doing a wonderful job and right now it's one game and you don't know what will happen tomorrow," Bumrah tried to put things on record.
"In the next game, things change and that's how cricket works. Right now, I am in the present. I have been given a responsibility. I did it once and enjoyed it thoroughly. I am thinking how I can contribute to the best of my capacity. Future, I can't control it."
Bumrah also understands that it doesn't help if one is trying to ape someone else's leadership traits.
"You have to find your own way as you can't blindly copy anyone. Virat and Rohit have been very successful and have gotten results but my way is that I have always never followed a copybook plan."
"And even with my bowling you can see, I go with my instincts and that's how I have always played my cricket. I have a lot of faith in my guts and instincts," Bumrah said.
He believes that fast bowlers are "tactically smart" and do make good captains, and praised Pat Cummins for doing a "phenomenal job" with the Australian team. He also cited Kapil Dev's example. Agencies
Also Read: Self-belief matters the most: India pacer Jasprit Bumrah
Also Watch: