In a big development KL Rahul has been appointed Team India's vice-captain after Hardik Pandya's injury ruled him out of the ongoing World Cup 2023.
“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.
Notably, Pandya was nursing his ankle injury which he picked during India's World Cup match against Bangladesh.
The BCCI medical team kept him under observation and as a result he sat out the following three matches against New Zealand, England, and Sri Lanka, until he was formally declared unfit to play.
Meanwhile, Rahul, who returned to India's fold following a six-month hiatus owing to an injury, has taken on the role of wicketkeeper and has been a consistent performer in the middle order, batting at no. 5 position.
Reports suggest that India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was the top contender for the vice-captaincy role. Nonetheless, the national selectors chose to support KL Rahul for the position instead of the pacer.
Remarkably, Rahul stood out in India's opening game against Australia, crafting a remarkable undefeated innings of 97 runs to steer India to victory. Accumulating 237 runs across six innings with an impressive average of 79.00, the 31-year-old has also garnered attention for his skillful wicketkeeping throughout the tournament.
Meanwhile, this development came right ahead of India's next World Cup clash against South Africa on November 5.
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