NEW DELHI:
Shubman Gill
has been appointed as the
vice-captain
of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting from July 27. This decision marks a significant leadership change, as
Hardik Pandya
, who was India's vice-captain during the recent T20 and ODI World Cups, has been replaced by the Gujarat Titans skipper.
In the T20I squad, Gill will serve as the deputy to the newly appointed captain,
Suryakumar Yadav
, who has been entrusted with leading the team. Gill's appointment as vice-captain comes after his successful stint as the captain of the second-string Indian side that secured a 4-1 T20 series victory in Zimbabwe.
For the ODI squad, where Suryakumar Yadav is not included, Gill will assume the role of vice-captain under the leadership of
Rohit Sharma
, who led India to victory in the T20 World Cup.
Rohit will continue to captain the ODI team, which will play three matches against Sri Lanka in Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium on August 2, 4, and 7.
Virat Kohli will make his return to the ODI squad, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah remains absent from the tour after a demanding season.
Rohit and Kohli had initially planned to take a break but decided to return for the ODI matches as India begin preparations for the upcoming Champions Trophy scheduled for next year in Pakistan.
The decision to appoint Gill as the vice-captain over Hardik Pandya, who was Rohit's deputy in the T20 World Cup, is attributed to Pandya's frequent injury setbacks. Pandya remains part of the T20 squad but has been excluded from the ODI series, which will also see the return of Shreyas Iyer, who had previously lost his contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag,
Rishabh Pant
(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj
ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana
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