'It does not matter too much whether it is a batter of bowler who is the vice-captain.'
India captain Rohit Sharma hailed the appointment of Jasprit Bumrah as the vice-captain for the Sri Lanka series, saying the young pacer has a great cricketing brain.
India will host Sri Lanka for three T20Is, starting in Lucknow on Thursday, followed by two Test matches.
When asked about having Bumrah as vice-captain, Rohit said on Wednesday: "It does not matter too much whether it is a batter of bowler who is the vice-captain. It is the mind that matters and Bumrah has a great mind of the game. I have seen it closely. Honestly, yes, it is a good way for him to step into the leadership role now."
Rohit further said that vice-captaincy could take Bumrah's game to the next level.
"He has taken his game to the next level, I am sure he wants to do it even further. I am sure this is going to add further to him getting confidence. It is nice to have him as vice-captain for this particular series, let's hope everything works out. I do understand what sort of cricketing brain he has, it is nice to have him in this role," he said.
Rohit has taken over the India captaincy across the three formats after Kohli stepped down as Test captain after the tour of South Africa.
"It is a huge honour and it is always a great feeling to be captaining India in all three formats. I have a lot of challenges to look forward to, once the opportunity came through, I was glad and very happy to be captaining the team, we have a solid bunch of guys, so looking forward to leading them onto the park and seeing what we can create on the field," said Rohit during a virtual press conference.
He also believes Sanju Samson, who made a comeback to the Indian T20 team, has it in him to succeed at the highest level.
"Samson has got talent man, whenever you see him bat in the IPL, he has produced that innings where everyone goes over the moon watching that innings, he has got the skillset to succeed. That is the whole point about the sport, a lot of people have skill and talent, how you utilise it is the most critical part," said Rohit.
"It is now up to Sanju Samson how he wants to use that talent and maximise it because as team management, we see a lot of potential and a lot of talent in that individual. I hope we give him that confidence whenever he gets an opportunity. He is definitely into consideration and that is why he is part of the team. His backfoot play is superb. When you go to Australia, you need that shot-making ability, Samson has it in him. I just hope he utilises his potential," he added.
