Why Don't India Have A Vice-Captain In Test Cricket?

Team India doesn't have a vice-captain [@ImRo45/X] Team India doesn't have a vice-captain [@ImRo45/X]

For every series that India plays, the name of the captain and his deputy is always mentioned. However, eyebrows were raised when no vice-captain was announced for the Bangladesh Test series. 

Some people believed that the Indian team management are evaluating the performances, and would have named the vice-captain after the first Test match in Chennai. However, with no deputy still announced before the Kanpur Test, confusion has been raised amongst the fans.

Reason revealed as to why India doesn't have a Test vice-captain

In the series against England, which took place earlier this year, Jasprit Bumrah was Rohit Sharma's deputy, and while many expected Shubman Gill to be second in line after Rohit in Tests, that move never paid off.

Ahead of the second Test match, India's assistant coach, Abhishek Nayar, attended the pre-game press conference and was asked the question about Rohit's Test deputy. Nayar stated that the team doesn't need a vice-captain, stating that the youngsters are learning quickly, thanks to IPL, and also because of the presence of the seniors in the side.

He mentioned that the likes of Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill are already leading their respective franchises in the IPL, and have already gained considerable amount of experience from it.

"I think we need to understand that we have got a lot of IPL captains in this team. When you talk about the likes of Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, hopefully a Yashasvi going forward. There are a lot of players who have led their franchises," Abhishek Nayar told the media on the eve of the 2nd Test in Kanpur.

"I wouldn't look at them as youngsters any more. Yes, they are youngsters in terms of age and the amount of cricket they have played. But, I think overall, mentally and in their development as a cricketer, I think they have the leadership qualities that are required. You don't need to have a vice-captain that should be designated.

Who should be India's next Test captain?

Jasprit Bumrah was the front-runner to replace Rohit Sharma as the Test leader, but the team management are not risking him, considering that Bumrah may need to miss out on few matches due to workload managament.

Rishabh Pant, who has captained India, and also leads Delhi Capitals, is another name circulating, but Pant has just returned from his career-threatening accident and the team management doesn't want to burden him with too many things.