Former Odisha Ranji player and current East Zone selection committee member Pravanjan Malik has broken his silence on appointing Vaibhav Suryavanshi as the vice-captain of the East Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which is scheduled to begin on August 23. It’s a big role for a 15-year-old boy who has recently made his international debut.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s appointment as vice-captain was shocking to many, as would he be able to handle the pressure at such an age; However, he has already been the vice-captain in the U19 ODI World Cup earlier this year and led the team in the junior series against South Africa. In such a situation, he will get good guidance under the captaincy of Ishan Kishan.
Pranjan Malik shares insight on why Vaibhav Suryavanshi was named vice-captain
Speaking with Cricbuzz, Pravanjan Malik said that he has not been made the captain of the team, rather he is the vice-captain and the management believes that, he is a young kid who is growing and needs to take responsibility, which will help him develop as a cricketer in the future.
“He has not been made the captain. He has only been made the vice-captain. The captain is Ishan Kishan. Also, Ishan is a wicketkeeper, so he will be actively involved throughout the day. It is not that Vaibhav will be captaining the team the entire day. As he is growing up, he is maturing day by day. Giving him more responsibility will help him mature even more,” former Odisha Ranji player Pravanjan Malik told Cricbuzz.
“He can also become the captain of India” – Pravanjan Malik on Vaibhav Suryavanshi becoming the captain of India
Pravanjan Malik believes that it could be better to give the role of vice-captain to such a young child. Malik also believes that one day this boy will lead the India national cricket team in the future, and this is one of the reasons for making him the vice-captain for the East Zone.
“This is a great opportunity for him to take the responsibility of being the vice-captain in the Duleep Trophy. He wants to perform well for the country, and we believe it is important to give responsibility to young players. Who knows? We are hoping that one day he can become the captain of India too. That is the idea behind giving him the vice-captaincy,” Malik, who is currently the coach of the Odisha team, said.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s recent form
Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest cricketer to play for the Men in Blue as he made his debut against England at the age of 15. He won the Player of the Series award in the recently concluded Zimbabwe T20 series after scoring two fifties in three matches.
“He is performing very well for the country and has also had a great IPL season with Rajasthan Royals. He is also the vice-captain of Bihar in first-class cricket.”
East Zone Squad – Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudeep Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Ishan Kishan (captain), Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Subhranshu Senapati, Danish Das, Abhijeet Sarkar.
