Vijay Hazare Trophy: Pradeep Sangwan named captain of Delhi squad; Shikhar Dhawan, Unmukt Chand included
Left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan has been named Delhi captain for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) announced its 22-member squad for the one-day tournament on Friday.
The Delhi squad also features Shikhar Dhawan. But since he is unlikely to be available for the tournament beyond the first week, the left-hander has not been considered for captaincy.
Dhawan is likely to be part of India’s limited-overs series against England which begins on March 12. The Vijay Hazare Trophy will start on February 20, with Delhi facing Mumbai in their first match on February 21. However, if selected for India, the left-hander will have to leave the Delhi squad and join the bio-bubble with the Indian team.
Dhawan requested not to be made captain of Delhi squad
Selector Chetanya Nanda told IANS that Dhawan himself had asked not to be considered for captaincy of the Delhi squad. He said:
"Shikhar wouldn't have been able to continue beyond February 28 as he is part of the Indian limited overs team. He has to join the India team well ahead of the T20I series, probably on March 1. He himself suggested that someone who can lead Delhi throughout the tournament -- including knockouts if Delhi qualify -- should be picked as captain.”
Nanda further said on the important team members of the Delhi squad:
“Dhawan remains a key batsman for us, he is an international player. Pradeep Sangwan is an experienced player. He knows the grassroots level cricket in Delhi.”
Himmat Singh has been named vice-captain of the team which also includes Manjot Kalra, Nitish Rana and Unmukt Chand.
Chand left Delhi in 2019 and moved to Uttarakhand, but failed to impress. The 27-year-old has got another chance to resurrect his floundering career, which has not taken off.
For the uninitiated, Chand led India to victory in the 2012 World Cup Under-19 against Australia, scoring an unbeaten hundred in the final.
Delhi Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy : Pradeep Sangwan (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Manjot Kalra, Dhruv Shorey, Kshitiz Sharma, Nitish Rana, Himmat Singh (vice captain), Unmukt Chand, Jonty Sidhu, Lalit Yadav, Siddhant Sharma, Anuj Rawat (wicketkeeper), Lakshay Thareja (wicketkeeper), Hiten Dalal, Kunwar Bidhuri, Vaibhav Kandpal, Simarjeet Singh, Shivank Vashisth, Shivam Sharma, Vision Panchal, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tejas Baroka