The All India Selection Committee has named young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant as Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies. The T20 leg will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, India have dealt with severe injury blows ahead of the start of the T20Is. Senior batsman KL Rahul, all-rounders Washington Sundar and Axar Patel have been ruled out. While Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda replaced Rahul and Axar, Kuldeep came in the side at the expense of Washington.
With Rahul, the Indian team also lost its designated vice-captain and BCCI has named Rishabh Pant as their new vice-captain.
Delhi Capitals, Rishabh’s IPL franchise, took to Twitter to reveal the news. Incidentally, the 24-year-old led the Capitals in IPL 2021 in the absence of Shreyas Iyer and did an excellent job taking the team to the playoffs.
Rishabh Pant retained his leadership duties even after Shreyas returned during the second phase of IPL 2021. Moreover, he was retained as the captain of the side for the upcoming seasons.
You're looking at #TeamIndia's T20I vice-captain for the #INDvWI series 🤩
Proud of you, @RishabhPant17 💙#YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/iPZZZZEtDC
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) February 14, 2022
Rishabh Pant is being developed into a leader in the Indian cricket team since the conclusion of the 2021 T20 World Cup. He is even in the reckoning for the Test captaincy role in the Indian team, with Virat Kohli deciding to step down from the role.
The three T20Is are scheduled to take place on February 16, 18 and 20.
India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Kuldeep Yadav
