Shami to playing 11: Here's what Bumrah said ahead of IND vs AUS 1st Test

Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the Indian cricket team as he came to address the media in the press conference ahead of the Australia vs India 1st Test match starting on November 22.

 

Check IND vs AUS 1st Test Day 2 LIVE SCORE AND MATCH UPDATES HERE     Replacing the regular skipper Rohit Sharma who will likely be coming in for the 2nd Test, Bumrah said that he too wasn't aware that he will be leading the side before he landed Down Under.  Speaking about the starting eleven for tomorrow, Bumrah has said that the decision has been made for the players who will be featuring for India tomorrow but he refused to reveal any more than that today.    Here are the excerpts from the press conference -  Speaking about Team India's preparation for the series ahead of the 1st Test match, Bumrah said. 

"We are very well prepared for the series. We have spent good time at the WACA and now it's all about getting mentally switched on for the 1st match."  Speaking about his leadership role that he has been given, Bumrah said "I spoke to Rohit. Got to know about it when I arrived here as Rohit was also not sure about his availability."

 

" I love responsibility and want to pitch in when things get tough. I've always tried to give inputs whenever Virat and Rohit captained earlier. I am very priviledged and happy to be in this place as not many players get to captain Team India"  When asked about how his approach will be ahead of the big match and whether he will try to copy some of his predecessors, Bumrah said "You can't just copy someone's style. Both Virat and Rohit have done really well as captains but I have never tried to copy someone else and try to adapt to the situation at hand."

 

Speaking about coming into the match from a 3-0 loss against NZ, Bumrah said "Even if you win, you start from zero and vice versa. We are not carrying any baggages. There is a fresh mindset for this series. We have talked about how we want to improve from our performance vs NZ.

 

With key players like Rohit and Shubman Gill missing out for the opener, Bumrah expressed confidence in the squad and said "We have prepared according to the conditions. We're not focusing on the negatives and will focus on the options we have at the moment and try to make the best out of it."  Speaking about the return of Mohd Shami in the Ranji Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah hinted at a possible return for the pacer later in the series. "With Shami bhai returning from injury, the team management will be keeping an eye on him as he progresses through"

 

Bumrah also backed Virat Kohli to do well in this series despite of a disappointing display against NZ. "I don't need to talk about Virat Kohli the batter. He is one of the greatest professional we have onboard. I have no doubts about him despite one or two bad series. The way he is in the nets and his level of confidence at the moment, I feel he will do good for the team whenever he takes the pitch."