Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim was surprised with BCCI’s decision to name Jasprit Bumrah as the vice-captain of the ODI team for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa.
After the completion of the ongoing Test series between South Africa and India, both the teams are slated to lock horns in the three-match ODI series, which will be played between 19th to 23rd January.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday (31st December) named an 18-member squad for the ODI series. With Rohit Sharma being ruled out due to injury, KL Rahul was named captain of the team.
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What came as a surprise was premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was named as the vice-captain of the ODI team for the South Africa series. BCCI’s decision to give fast bowler leadership duties saw many mixed reactions.
While some felt it was the right decision, many said that governing body should’ve handed Rishabh Pant the vice-captaincy role, considering his leadership experience for Delhi Capitals in IPL.
Talking about BCCI’s decision to name Jasprit Bumrah as the vice-captain of the side, former Indian selector Saba Karim said that he was surprised as he was not expecting pacer to be given a leadership role.
He admitted that he was in favor of Rishabh Pant to be given the vice-captaincy as he is a multi-former player and his performance as a captain for Delhi Capitals in IPL was very good.
"I was extremely surprised; I was not expecting Bumrah to be made the vice-captain. I was hoping that Rishabh Pant had more chances to be made the vice-captain because he is also a multi-format player, he plays all three formats. Pant's performances as captain of the Delhi Capitals have been very good. We are seeing how he reads the match, he has a lot of game awareness," Saba Karim said.
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Saba Karim lauded Jasprit Bumrah as an important asset for Team India but pointed out that the pacer has not captained anywhere and thus the decision was surprising for him.
"Jasprit Bumrah has the talent, his role is very important for the Indian team but he has not captained anywhere till now. So it is slightly surprising. I was feeling that Rishabh Pant was the first candidate as vice-captain," he said.
Both Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah will be seen in action when Team India plays South Africa in the second Test in Johannesburg. The visitors thumped hosts by 113 runs in the first match to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
(IANS Inputs)
