England vs India | Jasprit Bumrah commands respect of the team, important quality to have as leader: Rahul Dravid

England vs India: Head coach Rahul Dravid heaped praise on stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah but highlighted that being a fast bowler and the skipper at the same time is not an easy job.

India head coach Rahul Dravid heaped rich praise on stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, saying the fast bowler commands the respect of his teammates and that's a good quality to have as a leader. Bumrah became only the 2nd Indian fast bowler after the legendary Kapil Dev to lead India in Tests when he walked out for the toss on Day 1 of the rescheduled 5th Test against England in Birmingham on Friday, July 1.

Rahul Dravid, speaking to the broadcasters ahead of the toss at Edgbaston, said Bumrah is a very good thinker of the game and understands the game situations well.

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Dravid had kept tight-lipped when he addressed the press on Wednesday as doubts remained over regular captain Rohit Sharma's participation. However, the BCCI, on the eve of the Edgbaston Test, confirmed that Rohit was not able to recover in time from Covid-19 and would not take part in the much-anticipated series finale.

Bumrah was handed over the captain's armband as he led a team for the first time in representative cricket.

"I think he is a very thoughtful individual, understands the game very well. Also he commands the respect of the team, which is very important as a leader. Bowling changes, field changes obviously will only get better with time. It's a new challenge," Dravid told Sony Sports.

Meanwhile, the head coach also suggested that it's not going to be easy for a bowler to lead the side, considering the workload and the effort needed to get through long spells in the longest format of the game.