"I was not expecting Jasprit Bumrah to be made the vice-captain" - Saba Karim feels Rishabh Pant should have been the choice
Saba Karim has expressed surprise at Jasprit Bumrah's appointment as Team India vice-captain for the ODI series against South Africa ahead of Rishabh Pant.
Rohit Sharma was supposed to lead the Indian side during the ODI series against the Proteas. However, he was ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Consequently, the selectors appointed KL Rahul and Bumrah as captain and vice-captain respectively.
BCCI has announced the Team India squad for the ODI series against South Africa.
KL Rahul will be leading the side 💪
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During a discussion on India News, Saba Karim was asked for his views on Jasprit Bumrah's elevation as Rahul's deputy. He responded:
"I was extremely surprised, I was not expecting Jasprit Bumrah to be made the vice-captain. I was hoping that Rishabh Pant had more chances to be made the vice-captain because he is also a multi-format player, he plays all the three formats."
The former India selector highlighted Pant's greater experience of leading a side compared to Jasprit Bumrah to substantiate his point. Karim explained:
"His [Pant's] performances as captain of the Delhi Capitals have been very good. We are seeing how he reads the match, he has a lot of game awareness.
"Jasprit Bumrah has the talent, his role is very important for the Indian team but he has not captained anywhere till now. So it is slightly surprising. I was feeling that Rishabh Pant was the first candidate as vice-captain."
Pant and Rahul were generally regarded as the frontrunners to be Rohit Sharma's deputy in ODI cricket.
With the Karnataka opener now expected to be full-time vice-captain, the selectors might have opted to make Bumrah his deputy for this series as a stop-gap arrangement.
"Jasprit Bumrah is captaincy material" - Reetinder Sodhi
Reetinder Sodhi, however, expressed a contrary view to that of Karim. He said:
"I have said earlier as well that Jasprit Bumrah is captaincy material. It is a huge myth that fast bowlers cannot be captains. Fast bowlers read the game very well and the big reason for Jasprit Bumrah being made the vice-captain is that he is a performer across the formats."
The former India all-rounder cited the example of Pat Cummins to drive home his point. Sodhi elaborated:
"We can take a leaf out of the book of the Australians. Pat Cummins was made the captain, there was a lot of criticism but Australia is 3-0 ahead in the Ashes and Pat Cummins has given a terrific performance.
"Jasprit Bumrah being made the vice-captain is a signal that he can captain the country in the coming days."
Happy for Jasprit Bumrah, he has been the most important member of Team India in the last few years and got the "Vice-Captain" position for the South Africa ODI series. His hunger to improve everytime makes him better player in each and everyday.
There is no denying that fast bowlers can be capable captains. However, it might not be advisable to give the additional leadership burden to Bumrah, considering that he is the linchpin of the Indian attack and would need breaks in between to balance his workload.