East Zone selector explains thinking behind Sooryavanshi's vice-captaincy

Only time will tell whether the East Zone selectors were far-sighted visionaries or simply too clever by half. For now, however, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's appointment as East Zone vice-captain has sparked widespread debate, with many questioning the wisdom of the selectors in burdening a 16-year-old with such a big responsibility.

But one member of the East Zone selection committee explained the thinking behind the decision. “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 Cricketlineguruji.

“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.

Mullick pointed out that Sooryavanshi is the vice-captain of the Bihar side. Besides, he was vice-captain of India's Under-19 team that won the Under-19 World Cup. “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.”

The East Zone selection committee meeting was held at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. CAB secretary Bablu Kolay convened the meeting, which was attended by selectors Dibyendu Chakraborty (CAB), Manish Wardhan (JSCA), Alok Saha (TCA) and Anant Prakash (BCA), along with Mullick (OCA). Sumit Ranjan Das (ACA) joined the meeting virtually.

Mullick, who played 88 first-class, 56 List A and 11 T20 matches in a domestic career spanning 14 years, said there were no discussions with the player before the appointment was made. “No, none at all. It was a collective decision taken by all the selectors from the eastern states. He has the ability to handle responsibility and is capable of leading the team when required.

“More importantly, this is a great opportunity for him to score runs. If he performs well in the Duleep Trophy, the national selectors will certainly be watching him. You never know, he could be in contention for the Indian Test team sooner rather than later.”

Sooryavanshi has emerged as a teenage sensation, taking the IPL and the cricketing world by storm. He topped the batting charts in the IPL and was named Player of the Series in India's recently concluded tour of Zimbabwe. However, he had a relatively underwhelming T20I series in England recently.

When told that the decision was criticised largely in the media and on social media, Mullick’s response was, “With due respect to everyone expressing their views, they are entitled to their opinions. Everyone has a right to think differently, and we cannot change that. But we did what we believed was best for the team. It was a collective decision.”

The inter-zonal multi-day red-ball Duleep Trophy starts in Bengaluru on August 23, with East Zone taking on North Zone in the opening match.