Jasprit Bumrah ready to emulate MS Dhoni as he prepares to lead India against England

India's stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah seeks inspiration from the legendary MS Dhoni as he prepares to lead India in the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston.

Regular Test captain Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the fifth Test after testing positive for COVID-19 for the second time on Wednesday. As a result, the BCCI have announced that Bumrah, initially named as the deputy of Sharma, will be the first fast bowler in 35 years to lead the Indian Test team.

Bumrah is arguably one of the finest pace bowlers in the world at the moment, and along with his ability with the ball, he has a brilliant understanding of the game, which is why he is set to be the 36th player to lead the national Test team.

However, he has no prior experience in leading a team and will be up for a very different challenge as he starts his captaincy career by leading the Indian team in the red-ball format. 

Coincidentally, India's most successful captain MS Dhoni never led any team in his career before leading the Indian team. Bumrah recalled an interaction with the world Cup-winning skipper when Dhoni told him that he had never captained any team before leading India in international cricket. 

"I remember speaking to MS (Dhoni), and he told me that he never captained any side before he led India for the first time. Now, he is remembered as one of the most successful captains of all time. So, I am focusing on how I can help the team and not focusing on what I have done before or how the cricketing conventions or the rules have been set," Jasprit Bumrah was quoted by the Times of India.

"I only came to know that I would be leading the side after Rohit Sharma tested COVID positive once again on Thursday. I first broke the news to my family when I came to know that I would be leading the side," he added.

Bumrah will also be spearheading the bowling attack. So far in his short but impactful Test career, he has taken 123 wickets in 29 Tests at an average of 21.7.