Bumrah hopes to chart his own Dath as captain

There is a vast difference between how the world views J asprit Bumrah and the way he sees himself.

- Ashish Magotra

Take for instance, this question in the pre-match press conference at the Optus Stadium here and Bumrah's reply.

It was about a medium-pace allrounder whom India might play in the series opener. The journalist didn't name names but it was evident that Nitish Kumar Reddy was being referred to. Bumrah though was visibly appalled that he was categorised as a medium-pace allrounder. "Medium-pace? I've bowled at 150 km/h. You can call me a fast bowler."

Of course, the question wasn't about him but the reply had everyone smiling and it gave us a small peek at the mindset of a bowler who could pretty much decide the fate of the series. First, as a bowler and then, as captain in the first Test. Well begun is half done and with Rohit Sharma unavailable in Perth, the onus will be on Bumrah to not just take wickets but also make the right calls on the field.

"I don't look at it as a post. I love responsibility," said Bumrah. ''You always want to be in the thick of things, you want to be thrown against tough scenarios.. Even when Rohit is there or when Virat was there, I tried to give inputs. I tried to learn from them and, when I became a senior and new guys started coming in, I started passing on what I learned.