(Cricket News) Jay Shah made the announcement in Rajkot on Thursday, June 19, that Rohit Sharma would captain India in the Twenty20 World Cup. Hardik Pandya will serve as vice-captain. The announcement puts an end to days of speculation about who would captain the country in the Caribbean and the United States.
“At this moment, Rohit is an all-format captain. It is a group decision, and the selectors are in complete agreement on the subject. Hardik Pandya will continue to be vice-captain for the T20 World Cup. Think about if Hardik gets hurt, like he did in the last World Cup. In that case, who should we assign to lead the team?” Shah continued.
“Recall the Afghanistan T20I match. We were struggling at 27 for 4, but Rohit is incredible century turned the game around. We can not question his abilities. We won ten games in a row in the World Cup, but we lost in the final. It is part and parcel of the game,” Shah said.
At the event where the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium was renamed as the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Shah confidently declared, “I have not made any comments about the 2023 World Cup, in which we lost the final in Ahmedabad.
However, I can assure you that India will clinch the T20 World Cup in Barbados on June 29 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.” Rahul Dravid, the head coach, and a few members of the Indian team were also present.
Shah’s announcement comes a day before the start of the third Test against England in Rajkot, where India hopes to take the lead in what has been an intensely contested series thus far. After taking over as the Mumbai Indians’ captain in place of Rohit Sharma, Pandya became a serious contender for the job, but Shah’s remarks put an end to any conjecture.
“He is a youngster… there is no need to mention his name. This directive applies to all players, including those under contract. Going forward, all players will have no choice but to participate in domestic cricket,” the BCCI secretary declined to name any specific players, including Ishan Kishan, who has been concentrating on getting ready for the Indian Premier League.
“The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will decide whether to appoint a new selector from the North Zone,” he said in response to a question about whether or not the player will come from the North Zone. “The team for the Test series is picked. After this there is no international assignment. There is the IPL. But we will finalise the process.”
“There is no issue with Virat. In a 15-year cricketing career, if one asks for leave for one series, that is his right. Virat is not a player who will take leave without a genuine reason. We need to back and trust our players,” the BCCI official said, firmly endorsing Virat Kohli, who is missing the current England series for personal reasons.
See more: Golden Generations: How the victories of ‘EuroCelta’ inspired Galician players and future Celta stars such as Kevin Vázquez .
