'Bowlers are the smart ones' - Jasprit Bumrah discusses why bowlers are apt for leadership roles

Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah says that he feels bowlers are the "smart ones" as they are "not hiding behind a bat" and believes that bowlers are perfect for leadership roles.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Bumrah reminded everyone about Kapil Dev and Imran Khan's success as captains of their respective sides.

"I feel bowlers are smart people because they have to get the batsmen out," Bumrah said.

"Bowlers have to do the hard job and are not hiding behind a bat, they’re not hiding behind a flat wicket. We’re right in the firing line. When we lose a game, it’s usually the bowlers who are blamed. So it’s a hard job.

"We’ve seen Pat Cummins doing really well. When I was a child, I’d seen Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as captains. Kapil Dev has won us a World Cup. Imran Khan has won a World Cup for Pakistan. So bowlers are the smart ones."

Bumrah, who has captained the Indian team in a Test and a couple of T20Is, stated that people resonate more with batters but stressed that within the Indian camp there was no difference between batters and bowlers.

"I understand that our country loves big batsmen and fair enough, but for me, bowlers drive the game.

"I come from a generation where test cricket used to be shown more on television and for me, till date, it’s the greatest format because I feel that if I do well in that, all other formats will take care of themselves."

Further speaking on the captains he has played under, Bumrah highlighted the qualities of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni and the current leadership setup in the team.

"Rohit [Sharma] is one of the few captains who has empathy towards bowlers, despite being a batter.

"He understands players’ emotions, and knows what a player is going through. Rohit is not rigid, he is open to feedback. MS [Dhoni] gave me a lot of security, quickly. He has a lot of faith in his instinct, and doesn’t believe in a lot of planning.

"Virat [Kohli] is energy-driven, passionate, wears his heart on his sleeve. He pushed us in terms of fitness, and changed the narrative that way. Now Virat is not the captain, but he is still a leader. Captaincy is a post, but a team is run by 11 people."