"India need him more as a bowler rather than a captain"- Rahul Dravid on the role of Jasprit Bumrah against England

India and England are playing the fifth and final rescheduled test. The match is underway at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Last year, the first four matches were played, with the visiting team leading the series 2-1. However, both Jasprit Bumrah and Ben Stokes, the new captains, were present at the toss. 

Bumrah was given the role of India's leader in an all-important match. India's head coach, Rahul Dravid, has opened up about the role of Bumrah in the team. In a discussion with Sanjana Ganesan on Sony Sports Networks, he said that the pacer is a very thoughtful player and knows about the game. 

He also said that the pacer understands his bowling and always looks to have conversations about the game. Dravid stated that the pacer is respected by everyone on the team, which is more important. The head coach also said that it will be a great learning curve for the pacer and that he will definitely learn from this.

Dravid also said that it is difficult for a bowler to captain the side because he needs to look after his individual performance as a bowler as well and also need to set the field for his bowling.

Dravid added, "I have had a couple of conversations in the last couple of days. We probably need him more as a bowler rather than a captain. Captaincy is something. The more you do, the better you get."

On the other hand, the hosts are playing aggressively and are coming off a 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand in the last series. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as the head coach have changed the mindset of the players and now they look like quite a dangerous unit.

Speaking about England's form, Dravid said that the Indian team is looking forward to that challenge, but India have a good quality pacer in their team, which is something they are proud of. India has a good number of world-class fast bowlers that have been developed in the last 4-5 years, who can bowl in any conditions.

Concluding the conversation, the 49-year-old said that it will be an exciting contest and that India was ready for this challenge. He said, "It is about bowling the balls in the right areas. We back ourselves, if they have the ability to hit the good balls, then good luck to them."