Johannesburg: India’s leading pacer Jasprit Bumrah was appointed Monday vice-captain for the second Test against South Africa. Bumrah’s promotion came after KL Rahul was elevated as skipper in the absence of the injured Virat Kohli. The regular Indian Test captain is missing the crucial game due to a back spasm. Initially, Shreyas Iyer was seen to be the replacement for Kohli. However, he also had to miss out due to a stomach bug, the BCCI said in a statement.
“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Jasprit Bumrah as vice-captain for the 2nd Test,” the board statement read. It added, , “Team India batsman Shreyas Iyer was also ruled out of selection for the 2nd Test owing to a stomach bug.”
Iyer made a magnificent start to his Test career, scoring a hundred and a half century on debut in the home series against New Zealand towards the end of last year.
Also read: SA v IND, 2nd Test: Kohli ruled out due to upper back spasm, KL Rahul becomes captain
Bumrah had been appointed vice-captain for the limited overs series against the Proteas starting January 19. It is a move that was widely seen as an acknowledgement for his all-format consistency over the years.
Kohli’s missing out on the game means that he will have to wait for some time more to play in his 100th Test. Had he played the second Test, Kohli would have played his 100th Test at Cape Town. The 33-year-old will be playing in the ODI series against the Proteas starting January 19. Rahul will captain India in that rubber as newly-appointed white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma is out injured.
As per the Indian team’s fixtures, Kohli, if all goes well, will now get to play his 100th Test against Sri Lanka at Bangalore in February.
