Karnataka all-rounder Sunil Ramesh, 21, will lead India’s 14-member team against Bangladesh in a bilateral series which begins with a T20I in Bhopal tomorrow
India blind cricket team’s new skipper Sunil Ramesh (left) with former captain Ajaykumar Reddy
Replacing an experienced captain is always tricky in Indian cricket. However, India’s blind cricket team captain Ajaykumar Reddy has set a different example. Reddy, 31, who led the country to victory in the 2016 Asia Cup, T20 World Cup in 2017 and the ODI World Cup held in UAE in 2018, requested the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) to hand the leadership to a young cricketer, revealed CABI secretary and chief selector John David.
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Karnataka all-rounder Sunil Ramesh, 21, will lead India’s 14-member team against Bangladesh in a bilateral series which begins with a T20I in Bhopal tomorrow.
Malik named vice-captain
Ramesh, a B3 category player, who lost his vision in an accident at the age of four, will be assisted by another young B3 category cricketer—Haryana’s Deepak Malik in the three-match T20I series followed by as many ODI games in Bhopal.
“Ajay himself suggested to our president G Mahantesh that someone should get a chance to lead the Indian team. It was his idea to nurture future captains. Ajay has taken rest as he has a knee injury, But he assured us full support and cooperation for the new captain and entire team,” David told mid-day from Bhopal on Wednesday.
When asked about the decision to quit captaincy, Reddy said: “I am 31 now and will play for another few years. But we need someone who will lead the country for the next four-five years. Hence, I approached CABI with my suggestion. We will be playing the T20 World Cup next year and we wanted someone to prepare himself and lead the team. Sunil is young and a quality all-rounder. I am confident he will learn leadership tricks quickly and I will always be there to guide him.”
‘Will lead from the front’
Meanwhile, Ramesh is confident of his new challenge. “I started my international career under Ajay bhai’s captaincy and learnt a lot from him. I will try my best to lead from the front,” Ramesh remarked.
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