Mumbai: The decision of KL Rahul to lead the Indian team on the tour of South Africa came as no surprise. It was an open secret that current vice-captain KL Rahul will lead the team if Rohit Sharma does not recover from injury. But bringing in pacer Jaspreet Bumra to the position of vice-captain of the team was a totally unexpected move. Especially with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant in the squad, who have excelled as captains in the IPL, the selectors’ decision to give Bumrah, a bowler, the role of vice-captain came as a surprise.
But with this move, the selectors are aiming to send a strong message to Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Some of the selectors had earlier told the media that those who shine in all formats of cricket would be eligible for positions within the team. In that sense, Bumrah is one of the few Indian players to excel in all three formats. This gives the selectors a clear indication that they will not be able to secure the vice – captaincy position with their T20I prowess alone.
But since Bumrah’s vice-captaincy is only a temporary position, the selectors are less likely to bother about it. Rohit Sharma is expected to be sidelined with an injury ahead of the West Indies’ and Sri Lanka tour of India after the tour of South Africa. Returning Rohit will take over the captaincy and KL Rahul will be the vice-captain again. As such, it does not matter who becomes the vice-captain of the South African tour. But it is clear that Bumrah was given the task regardless of Shreyas Iyer or the ball because the selectors had a specific goal.
TAGS:
JASPRIT BUMRAH,
INDIA,
BCCI,
CRICKET,
CHETAN SHARMA,
ROHIT SHARMA,
RISHABH PANT,
SHREYAS IYER,
SOUTH AFRICA
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