Abu Dhabi: India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has said he enjoys the freedom he gets playing under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Jasprit Bumrah said that the entire Mumbai Indians (MI) set-up has been a huge confidence booster for him. Bumrah is an integral part of the MI team that have won the IPL crown on four occasions. It is the highest among any of the franchises. Rohit has been the captain on all four occasions.
“For me, he (Rohit) has always given me the freedom. He has always told me to express yourself (myself), be whatever you want. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, take ownership of your own bowling. So that gives me a lot of confidence and a responsibility,” Bumrah said in a video posted on the team’s twitter handle
“So that’s a big thing for a captain because then he gives a bowler so much of confidence. He trusts the decisions that you will take and that’s a very positive sign,” the fast bowler added.
Also read: Lasith Malinga is just not comparable, he is irreplaceable: Rohit Sharma
Rohit’s captaincy has also come in for praise from fellow teammates and MI coaching staff, not just Bumrah.
“He is always open to take suggestions on the ground. I have seen him a lot of times when there is a crunch situation, or when he is under pressure, he is very calm and composed. He takes tough decisions during that time,” MI batsman Suryakumar Yadav said in the same video.
MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene termed Rohit as a ‘very instinctive leader’. Former India speedster Zaheer Khan, who is part of the team’s support staff, described the right-handed batsman as ‘a thinking cricketer’.
“You have this very relaxed, cool looking guy. His mannerism when he bats, he’s got that elegance, which you can call ‘lazy elegance’. But he is very intense and hard-core, when it comes to thinking about the game,” Zaheer said.
“He actually channelises his energy very well. He’s very good with controlling the emotions of the pressure situation; he likes to take that pressure on himself,” the former ‘Sultan of Swing’ added.