Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named Bihar captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches
The 15-year-old batter will lead the team in their opening two fixtures against Saurashtra and Railways in Indore.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been appointed captain of the Bihar senior team for the first two matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 15-year-old left-hander will lead the side in Indore against Saurashtra on November 14 and Railways on November 16, according to reports by Hindustan Times and The Times of India.
Suraj Kashyap has been named vice-captain for the tournament. Bihar assistant coach Ashok Kumar said Sooryavanshi was given the opportunity to lead because Sakibul Gani is injured. Bihar Cricket Association president Harsh Vardhan stated that the appointment would provide the youngster an opportunity to grow as a leader.
The decision comes as Bihar seeks a turnaround after losing their four opening Ranji Trophy matches. The selection committee, led by Harvinder Singh, includes Amitabh Vijayvargiya and S Sarath.
Sooryavanshi previously served as vice-captain for the East Zone side during the Duleep Trophy. Regarding that role, Sachin Tendulkar stated during a Reddit AMA that it was too early for him to take on such responsibility and suggested he should focus on playing more red-ball matches.
The Bihar squad for the first two matches includes Alok Kumar, Altamash Ashraf, Param Kumar Singh, Anmol Kumar, Ayush Loharuka, Ritwik Raj, Mayank Kumar, Raghvendra Pratap, Ashish Kumar, Vasudev Pratap Singh, Mohammad Izhar, Amod Yadav, Prashant Singh, Nawaz Khan and Himanshu Singh. The availability of Mangal Mahour and Shakib Hussain depends on fitness assessments after the opening fixtures.