Due to his bad form in Test cricket, India opener KL Rahul was recently dropped from the vice-captain post. Now, veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh has named a player who he thinks possess all the qualities to replace Rahul and become Rohit Sharma‘s new deputy in the longest format of the game.
Talking about who should be India’s new vice-captain on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said Ravindra Jadeja is best suited for the role. The 42-year-old former cricketer added that Jadeja’s ability to both bat and ball makes him the no. 1 contender for the post.
“India don’t have a vice-captain. Who can be your next vice-captain? I believe that a player who is captain or vice-captain should be a definite starter in the XI, regardless of whether you play in India or abroad,” said Harbhajan.
“I think that kind of a player is Ravindra Jadeja. I think the vice-captaincy now should be given to Jadeja because it will give him more responsibility. He has been playing really well. As a senior player, he has played for a long time. He is at the peak of his abilities in his batting and bowling,” he added.
Harbhajan further hailed Jadeja as the world’s top all-rounder and stated that the latter also has the potential to become Rohit’s deputy in ODIs.
“I don’t think there is any all-rounder in the world who is better than Ravindra Jadeja. Ben Stokes is in that league, he is also a big-match player. I think if you look at his performance, his batting has clicked. It seems as if he will score in every match. He should get vice-captaincy in Tests. He can get it in ODIs. This is my thought,” added the veteran Punjab cricketer.
Notably, Jadeja was out of action for the last five months following an injury. However, the 34-year-old all-rounder made a strong comeback in the international arena and played a significant role in India’s victory in the first two Tests of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2023. He also won consecutive ‘Player of the Match’ awards for his exceptional performance in both matches.
Jadeja will now return to the field on Wednesday (March 1) when India faces Australia in the third Test of the four-match BGT 2023.
