After the BCCI announced that Rohit Sharma will take over as the ODI and T20I captain on a full-time basis, bringing an end to Virat Kohli’s stint at the helm, the focus has now shifted to who will be the next vice-captain in white-ball formats for Team India.
Virat Kohli will remain the captain of the Indian team in Test cricket, while Rohit Sharma was elevated as the vice-captain in the longest format of the game, replacing under-fire Ajinkya Rahane. However, there still is no announcement over the role of vice-captain in the ODI team.
Now, as per a report in the Times of India, KL Rahul is the front runner for the deputy job in the ODIs as well, after being named the vice-captain of the India T20I unit recently. But a school of thought wants Rishabh Pant as the deputy as many want him to be groomed to become the next India captain.
Cricket fraternity reacts after Rohit Sharma replaces Virat Kohli as India's ODI captain
“It’s important to maintain a balance. The selectors are not for making drastic changes. But the team management and the selectors are keen on giving younger players more important roles going forward. Pant is definitely seen as an important part of the leadership group although Rahul is the frontrunner for the vice-captaincy in ODIs because he is already the deputy to Rohit in T20Is,” a source was quoted as saying by TOI.
All of the above three have captaincy experience at the domestic and IPL levels. While Rohit is the most successful captain in IPL with five titles, Rishabh Pant recently captained Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021 and is likely to lead them in the upcoming IPL 2022 season as well.
KL Rahul captained Punjab Kings for two seasons and has been touted as the captain of one of the two new franchises that will join in the IPL 2022.
The TOI report further added that Rohit Sharma is keen to groom the youngsters into leadership roles by giving them new responsibilities. About his own position, the Hitman wanted the captaincy to change as soon as possible as India isn't scheduled to play many 50-over games before the 2023 World Cup.
“Rohit needed clarity on his role. There aren’t many ODIs before India play the 2023 World Cup and he is big on grooming the next generation leader too. Virat Kohli too understood the situation,” a source told the paper.
(Times of India report)
