OPINION
Follow UsThe Indian men’s team set-up was braced for a leadership change after the end of the T20 World Cup as Virat Kohli announced his plan to step down from T20I captaincy. Rohit Sharma, without much surprise, succeeded Kohli. However, BCCI went a step further earlier this week as they announced Rohit as the full-time white-ball captain along with promoting him to the vice-captain’s role in Tests for the upcoming series against South Africa.
For the role of Rohit’s deputy in the ODIs, the BCCI is yet to name one. There are multiple options within the team to groom as the future ODI captain. So, here are a few strong contenders for the role of India’s ODI vice-captain.
KL Rahul
A hot favorite primed for ascendancy after being named vice-captain in T20Is, Rahul has the all credentials of a future leader. The Karnataka opener has been in sensational form across formats in the last few months and took Punjab Kings close to the IPL 2021 playoffs spot all by himself. There was a glimpse of his vision for the Indian team soon after he became the vice-captain for the New Zealand T20I series. He emphasized on playing an aggressive brand of cricket and followed it up with a match-winning 65 at Ranchi. Besides leading Punjab Kings in matches, Rahul has captained Karnataka, India A and South Zone in a combined total of 43 matches with a win-percentage of 44.
Rishabh Pant
In Rishabh Pant, India have a great option to groom a future leader who has shown a lot of potential and maturity while captaining IPL side Delhi Capitals. The keeper-batter led them to the play-offs this season with a win percentage of 62.5. His performances in the middle order have been okay at best in ODIs as he has just three fifties in the last three years and will have to be promoted up the order to have a chance at big knocks. The 24-year old has played just 18 ODIs so far, but has enough experience at the highest level to shoulder more responsibility. It might feel like a gamble for India to make Pant the vice-captain but there are ample indicators of a future leader.
Ravindra Jadeja
India’s star allrounder has been the one to stay away from leadership roles within the teams he has played, but his seniority and reading of the game are hard to ignore. With an experience of 168 ODIs and having played two World Cups, Jadeja has the numbers under his belt to be Rohit’s right-hand man with an eye on the 2023 World Cup. The 33-year-old has played under the likes of Shane Warner and MS Dhoni and he could bring all that experience into play if India do decide to make him the vice-captain. However, the presence of stronger candidates and his past reluctance to take up captaincy are things the team management will consider before going in for a surprise.
Jasprit Bumrah
Leader of the pace attack among an accomplished group of fast bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah has been an indispensable asset in the dressing room for India and Mumbai Indians. Adding to his experience of playing in the IPL for a long time, Bumrah can be a great understudy to Rohit in the ODIs as India hopes to add to its pace reserves in the format. Besides being the team’s premier strike bowler, Bumrah is a great reader of the game and has performances from across the globe to back it up. Australia recently appointed Pat Cummins as their Test captain and India could take the similar route in ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was touted as the future of Indian batting following his consistent performances in the domestic circuit but has been being in and out of the team due to a series of unfortunate injuries. The right-hander always had the leadership bug in him as he led Mumbai in 17 one-days, four T20s along with captaining Delhi Capitals in 41 IPL games and India A in four first-class matches. Bereft of a leadership role at DC this season, Iyer has looked hungry to prove himself in all the competitions he has played. The team management has shown their trust in him as a performer and barring further injuries, Iyer is a safe bet for the vice-captain’s role.
