He's got good head on his shoulder, understands the game well: Rohit on Bumrah's vice-captain role

Bengaluru: India captain Rohit Sharma expressed confidence in premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah's leadership capabilities after his appointment as Test vice-captain for the three-match New Zealand series.

Bumrah hasn't had much captaincy caps to his name in his international career but Rohit shared that he was part of the leadership group and also led India occasionally in the past.

"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,” Rohit told reporters in the pre-match press meet after rain hampered India’s training session.

"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," he added.

Bumrah was appointed captain of the Ireland T20I series last year on his comeback after the injury before the Asia Cup. In 2022, he also led India in the rescheduled Test against England.

"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," said Rohit.

The opening batter added that Bumrah is defacto mentor for the young pacers in the squad. "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," Rohit said.

The first Test between India and New Zealand will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium from Wednesday.