Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be named as the new deputy of Rohit Sharma in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The 29-year-old is currently captaining the Indian team in the three-match series against Ireland and impressed everyone with his leadership skills on Friday.
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was the deputy for Rohit Sharma in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series against West Indies, where he did a reasonable job to help the Indian side win the series 2-1 on the Caribbean soil, but he could not inspire the young Indian team to win the T20 series against West Indies.
According to the various, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be named as the vice-captain of the Indian team after the selection meeting on Monday, where Indian head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma are likely to join the team meeting on August 21.
According to the PTI, Indian selectors may well announce the 15-men squad for the World Cup in India, which needs to be submitted on September 5 and is subject to changes till September 27. The Asia Cup squad can consist of 17 men of which the team needs to exclude two members for the World Cup.
Pandya’s reputation as captain has grown in the last year or so after he led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their first-ever season but the Indian all-rounder captaincy came under the scanner following their 3-2 loss to the West Indies in the five-match series.
Jasprit Bumrah was the stand-in captain for the one-off Test against England at Edgbaston. The Indian speedster led the Indian team very well against the well-oiled England team though the result was not in the favour of the Men in Blue and can be a good option for the Indian team going forward.
With age not being on Rohit Sharma’s side, Indian selectors and the team management would look to groom the next Indian skipper after the completion of the ODI World Cup 2023. Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah are potentially seen as candidates to take up the mantle after the present Indian captain.
The Indian team is under the pump in recent times, as they could make an impact against the lesser-ranked West Indies which has invited a wide range of criticism. The Men in Blue failed to win the final game against West Indies to keep up their win momentum in the T20 bilateral series.