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India, on the day before their most important test on World Cup 2023 so far, against second-placed South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, did not just lose their most important player in all-rounder Hardik Pandya to an injury, but also lost their vice-captain. The star player had hurt his ankle last month in the match against Bangladesh in Pune, and while there were reports that he would return for the knockouts, he failed to show significant improvement thus leading to Hardik being ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. While fast bowler Prasidh Krishna was picked as his replacement in the squad, BCCI, according to reports, has named KL Rahul as the vice-captain.
The ICC on Saturday confirmed that Hardik will no longer be part of India’s World Cup campaign. The all-rounder, who was named as the vice-captain for the tournament, was part of India’s first four matches before incurring the injury, following which he missed three straight matches.
With India still to play two more league games and a semifinal in a bid to qualify for the final for the first time since 2011, BCCI, according to Indian Express, has named Rahul as Rohit Sharma’s deputy.
“The BCCI has appointed KL 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 told The Indian Express.
The report further added that Jasprit Bumrah was in contention to grab that role as well, but Rahul pipped him by virtue of being a wicket-keeper which gives him a better understanding of the proceedings in the match. The India No. 5 batter will now be attending the all team meetings of bowlers and batters and will have a say in team selection as well.
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