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[Saba Sports News] The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly given the role of vice-captaincy of the team to KL Rahul for the remaining part of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. This change came after star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was previously the deputy to Rohit Sharma for the ongoing World Cup, was ruled out for the rest of the tournament due to a severe ankle injury.
Pandya, while bowling the third delivery of his first over in the World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19, twisted his ankle. The injury led him to miss the remaining match against Bangladesh as well as the clashes against New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka.
Subsequently, the all-rounder was sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for recovery, but the player showed no significant improvement, resulting in his exclusion from the remainder of the competition. Additionally, the BCCI announced on Saturday that pacer Prasidh Krishna would replace Pandya in the squad.
As for the vice-captaincy role, according to a report by The Indian Express, BCCI selector Ajit Agarkar and Company assigned that duty to wicketkeeper-batter Rahul, who has been in fine form throughout the tournament.
“The BCCI has appointed Rahul as the vice-captain of the Indian team for the remainder of the World Cup. He was informed about it on Saturday morning by chairman of selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, who is traveling with the team,” A BCCI official said as quoted to The Indian Express.
One primary reason for Rahul’s selection as the vice-captain was his ability to provide valuable insights to the bowlers and the captain from behind the stumps. The report further suggests that the 31-year-old will now play a vital role as the newly appointed vice-captain, attending all team meetings from now on.