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Former Odisha Ranji player and current East Zone selection committee member Pravanjan Mullick has broken the silence on making Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the vice-captain of the East Zone side for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which is scheduled to start from August 23. This is a massive role for the 15-year-old boy wonder who has just made his debut in international cricket.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s appointment as the vice-captain came as a shocker for many, as will he be able to handle the pressure at such an age; however, he has already been vice-captain at the U19 ODI World Cup earlier this year and led the squad in the junior series against South Africa. So under the captaincy of Ishan Kishan, he will get good guidance.
Pravanjan Mullick shares insights on why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named as vice-captain
While speaking with Cricbuzz, Pravanjan Mullick said that he has not been made the captain of the side, but he is the vice-captain, and the management believes that, as he is a young kid who is growing and needs to take responsibility, which will help him grow 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. Besides, Ishan is a wicketkeeper, so he will be actively involved throughout the day. It is not as though Vaibhav will be captaining the team all day. As he grows, he is maturing day by day. Giving him more responsibility will help him mature even further,” Pravanjan Mullick, a former Odisha Ranji player, told Cricbuzz.
"He could even become India's captain"- Pravanjan Mullick on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi becoming India's captain
Pravanjan Mullick believes that giving the vice-captaincy role to such a young kid could turn out in a better way. Mullick also keeps his fingers crossed that one day the boy-wonder 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 on the responsibility of being vice-captain in the Duleep Trophy. He wants to do well for the country, and we believe giving young players responsibility is important. Who knows? We are keeping our fingers crossed that one day he could even become India's captain. That is the thought behind giving him the vice-captaincy,” Mullick, who is currently the coach of the Odisha side, said.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's recent form
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest-ever cricketer to play for the Men in Blue side, as he made his debut at the age of 15 years against England. He won the Player of the Series award in the recently concluded Zimbabwe T20I series, scoring two fifties in three matches.
“He has been doing very well for the country and also had an excellent IPL season with Rajasthan Royals. He is also the vice-captain of Bihar in first-class cricket.”
East Zone squad - Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Ishan Kishan (c), Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Subhranshu Senapati, Denish Das, Abhijit Sarkar
