Jasprit Bumrah likely to replace Hardik Pandya as vice-captain for Asia Cup, ODI World Cup: Reports.
Hardik Pandya’s rise in the captaincy ranks was evident when he guided the Gujarat Titans to victory in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) championship. Subsequently, he was entrusted with the leadership of the Indian T20I team during the 2022 Ireland tour, as regular captain Rohit Sharma was absent from the 20-over internationals following the T20 World Cup the previous year. .
In an unfortunate turn of events, India experienced a 2-3 loss against Rovman Powell’s squad. During this series, Hardik Pandya faced criticism for implementing some unconventional strategies that failed to yield success for the Indian team. Notably, a year later, Jasprit Bumrah assumed the mantle of leading the T20I side against Ireland. Bumrah, who had returned from recovering from a lower-back stress fracture, had an impressive start as he claimed a couple of wickets in his opening over against Ireland in the first T20I. His proactive approach to captaincy was evident, helping India secure a victory by two runs through the DLS method. Bumrah’s debut as a white-ball captain displayed promising potential.
Interestingly, reports from The Times of India indicate that Jasprit Bumrah might replace his former Mumbai Indians teammate, Hardik Pandya, as the vice-captain of the Indian ODI side in preparation for the Asia Cup and the upcoming World Cup. The senior men’s selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, is scheduled to convene in New Delhi on August 21 to finalize India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2023. Many observers anticipate that the same squad, with minor adjustments, will be retained for the subsequent World Cup later in the year.
It’s worth noting that during the ODI series against the West Indies, Hardik Pandya briefly took on the role of captaincy in a couple of matches. While Rohit Sharma guided India to victory in the first ODI, he opted to sit out of the remaining two games, allowing his deputy, Hardik Pandya, to lead the team. While India suffered a defeat in the second ODI under Pandya’s leadership, they made a strong comeback to win the final match, ultimately securing the series 2-1