After recent development in the Indian Cricket Circuit and Virat Kohli announced that he is going to step down from the T20 Captaincy all eyes are set on who will be named in the newly formed leadership group. Virat is going to be an influential figure in the team but if he intends to step down as captain but if he steps down from captaincy, the vice-captain position is up for grabs as well. With Rohit Sharma being the front runner for captaincy, here’s a look at 3 prospects for vice-captaincy: –
Rishabh Pant: –
Rishabh Pant is one smart cricketing brain. He has previously managed a team with several senior players on board. While being the skipper of the Delhi Capitals, he has led the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Steve Smith, Ravi Ashwin, and Ajinkya Rahane. With him having the experience and being a certainty in the team Rishabh can be chosen. Also, his slam-bang approach gives the vibe that he has confidence in his skill and abilities.
More than anything, his unorthodox moves as captain in the first leg of the IPL are noteworthy. He has played under the guidance of Ricky Ponting and Dada Ganguly and has taken note of a few of their captaincy tricks.
Jasprit Bumrah/Bhuvneshwar Kumar: –
A bowler being in a leadership role at the international level is quite unlikely. But the kind of dominance these two pacers have shown in the past few years makes them very bright contenders for the spot. Bhuvi has previously led the Sunrisers Hyderabad and was Shikhar’s Deputy in the recently concluded Sri Lanka Series. Kumar has also played under some of the best captains the game has ever witnessed. It includes MS, Virat, Yuvraj, etc.
Bumrah on the other hand doesn’t have any significant captaincy experience but is a thinking bowler. He is a quick pacer and a deep analyst of the game as well. J Boom has been performing extremely well for the national team over the years and is a fixed player in the team. He has played under the most successful IPL captain Rohit Sharma. Mentored by the think tank at Mumbai Indians filled with smart minds, Bumrah is more than ready for this position.
KL Rahul: –
KL has previously done this job. He was the deputy for the ODI and T20I Australia Series in 2020 in the absence of Virat Kohli. If Virat steps down, Rohit moves up then the obvious choice is to make Rahul the deputy captain. He has been the skipper for the Punjab Kings which makes his case stronger. Rahul has also captained the Karnataka Domestic Squad. KL is favored by Virat as reported by many daily but even if that was not the case Rahul was the automatic choice.