Saba Karim surprised with Jasprit Bumrahs appointment as ODI vice-captain

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Syed Saba
Karim is surprised with the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI)
decision to appoint Jasprit Bumrah as vice-captain of the Indian ODI team for
the three-match series against South Africa.

Also Read: SA vs IND: Rohit Sharma ruled out of ODI series, KL Rahul named captain

The Indian selection committee chaired by
Chetan Sharma on Friday announced an 18-member squad for the ODI series, starting January
19 in Paarl. The selection committee named KL Rahul captain of the Indian team for
the series since newly appointed limited-overs captain Rohit Sharma is still
recovering from an injury at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Bumrah will be Rahul’s deputy in the ODI series.

Also Read: India vs South Africa: Jasprit Bumrah suffers ankle injury, walks off field on Day 3

India will play the first two ODIs in Paarl
on January 19 and 21 while the third ODI will be played in Cape Town on January
23. The Indian team is currently playing the Test series against South Africa
where they are leading the series 1-0 after their 113-run win in the Centurion
Test. The second Test in Johannesburg will start on Monday and the third Test
is scheduled in Cape Town for January 11 start.

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Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer were Karim’s choices

Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the Test
series before the start of India’s tour of South Africa. It was expected that
either wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant or Shreyas Iyer could get the
vice-captain’s role because of their IPL captaincy stints. But the Chetan
Sharma-led selection panel chose Bumrah.

Also Read: SA v Ind: Pant fastest Indian wicketkeeper to get 100 Test dismissals

Bumrah has reportedly been rewarded for his
consistency in all three formats of the game over the years. But Saba Karim, a
former selector of the senior Indian men’s team, found the decision precarious.

“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 three formats. 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,” former national selector Saba
Karim told news agency IANS.

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Saba Karim, while stating that Bumrah was
talented, added that the bowler had no captaincy experience at the top level.

“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,” he added.