"Always backed me and told me to believe in myself" - Jasprit Bumrah talks about Rohit Sharma's role in his career

India and Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah has praised Rohit Sharma for showing trust in him and encouraging his self-belief from his initial days in the IPL.

Speaking on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube show 'DRS with Ash', Bumrah recalled how after becoming the Mumbai Indians captain, Rohit observed his skills and entrusted him with crucial overs. The right-arm pacer said it helped him get over the early self-doubts and even learn how to overcome difficult situations.

Bumrah said:

"It's been very good since the initial days. When I came into the side Ricky was the captain but I was not playing regularly. I started playing a lot under Rohit. So he had a lot of confidence in me, he instilled a lot of confidence as well. He saw me bowling in the nets, saw what kind of skills I had. He always backed me and told me to believe in myself."

He noted:

"Even in the initial stages, he had a lot of trust in me so he'll give me all the important overs and that tells me 'Ok, I can do the job'. Sometimes you are still trying to convince (yourself) maybe it's the right call that I am doing the tough job but [when] they put you in the tough zone then you find ways to come out of it."

Bumrah said the relationship has continued on the same path, with Rohit now even blindly trusting him for field placements. The 28-year-old also hailed the five-time IPL winning captain for curating a "simple" yet calm dressing room environment. He said:

The same relationship has been there (since), he has a lot of trust in me till date. So now we've reached a stage where he doesn't even tell me what to do. He says, 'You set the field on your own and if there are any changes you tell me and I'll do that'... Somedays things might not go well but he's always had kept the atmosphere in our team very simple and calm."

Bumrah is currently not only one of the most senior cricketers at Mumbai Indians but is also seen as a leadership candidate for India across formats. In India's ongoing series against Sri Lanka, he's Rohit's vice-captain and only an injury away from being at the helm.

When asked about the subject, Bumrah reiterated his earlier stance that while it will be an "honor" for him to lead, he won't go "chasing" after it. He explained:

"I don't like to chase things. I am a person who believes that God has a plan and everything will find its own way so I don't like to hamper that plan... You are always a leader when you are a senior member of the team. It's always a post. You try to help all the people in whatever capacity you can. In Mumbai Indians you have a lot of senior players, I am also a senior player now, so you help the captain and everyone, you play the leadership role even when you aren't asked to. That's how I look at it."

He added:

"Just for personal satisfaction, I don't want to have that 'I want to be this, I have to be the captain', it's just a post, just a name... Yes, if given an opportunity at any scenario, it'll be an honor, I would never every shy away from that but it's something I would never go looking for."

If given the job, Bumrah will be in the company of only a handful of other bowler-captains in India's history and the first since Anil Kumble, who led from 2007 to 2008.

"It's something we are trying to change" - Jasprit Bumrah on India's lower-order batting contributions

Bumrah also talked about Indian bowlers' attention to their batting skills. He said they are trying to get better and change how their batting is looked at in the team. Bumrah also talked about batting coach Vikram Rathour's role in the same and how the bowlers are "bigger people" than the batters for their efforts.

He said:

"Batting is something we are working [at] and we are trying to get better [at], we are aware that when we bat, it's very fun for the team to watch (chuckles). It's something we are trying to change."

"So basically, Vikram sir coming into the setup had a lot of conversations with us that we have to try and contribute. We don't ask the batters to try and contribute with the ball because we feel we are the bigger people!"

"It can play a massive role because when we bowl and the lower-order clicks it's frustrating. So we understand that and are trying to do whatever we can," he concluded.

Bumrah is currently playing in India's second T20I against Sri Lanka in Mohali. He took a wicket and conceded 24 runs in his four overs. You can catch the proceedings here.