Jasprit Bumrah has been formally selected as the Indian cricket team’s vice-captain for the forthcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand, which begins on October 16 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
On Friday, October 11, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the upcoming home Test series against New Zealand, with Bumrah returning as Rohit Sharma’s deputy, implying that the premier pacer will likely take over India’s Test captaincy in the future.
India’s Test squad had only one alteration from the recent home series against Bangladesh, with Yash Dayal missing out on the 15-man selection for the New Zealand Tests. However, the presence of dynamic reserves has piqued everyone’s interest, with fast-paced talents such as Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna joining the ranks.
Nitish Reddy, the young all-rounder who recently astonished fans with a game-changing effort against Bangladesh, has also earned a position in the reserves.
Jasprit Bumrah might captain India in Australia Tests in the absence of Rohit Sharma
According to a PTI report, Indian captain Rohit Sharma could miss at least one of the first two Tests in the upcoming five-match series in Australia. If that happens, Bumrah would serve as India’s stand-in captain, having previously led the team in a Test against England in Birmingham in July 2022.
With the Australia trip looming, Jasprit Bumrah’s vice-captaincy was a calculated decision to prepare him for a larger role if necessary.
Meanwhile, an Indian Express article said that the Indian selection committee will continue to rely on Jasprit Bumrah as a stand-in skipper in Test cricket if Rohit Sharma is unable to play in any further games, including the next Australia tour.
With India ready to play a five-match Test series in Australia in November, Bumrah has declared that he will take over as captain if Rohit Sharma misses any of the matches due to personal reasons.
There was no vice-captain during India’s previous two-match Test series against Bangladesh, but their choice to re-appoint Bumrah as vice-captain for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand appears to be targeted at preparing him for the big job if the circumstances require it.
India’s squad for the three Tests against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
Travelling Reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna
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