The East Zone selectors have defended their decision to appoint 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as vice-captain for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, describing the move as part of a long-term leadership plan rather than an indication of the team’s pecking order.While Ishan Kishan’s appointment as captain was widely expected, the decision to hand the vice-captaincy to Sooryavanshi drew attention, especially with experienced campaigners such as Abhimanyu Easwaran, Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar also part of the squad.Sooryavanshi has featured in only eight first-class matches for Bihar, while Easwaran has played 113 first-class games and previously captained Bengal, India A and other representative sides.Explaining the reasoning behind the decision, Manish Vardhan, Jharkhand’s representative on the East Zone selection committee, said the move was aimed at helping the youngster understand leadership from close quarters.“We are not thinking about the present alone,” Vardhan told Cricinfo. “A vice-captain gets to observe the captain closely and understand how a team is run. We wanted Vaibhav to be more involved with the group because we think it will help him as he develops.“He’s an extremely talented cricketer and is maturing steadily. Giving him this responsibility is another part of that process.”Vardhan also clarified that Sooryavanshi’s appointment does not automatically make him the stand-in captain if Kishan is unavailable. Although the selectors have not discussed that possibility, he suggested that an experienced player would likely take charge while Sooryavanshi continued as vice-captain.According to Vardhan, the committee’s thinking behind appointing Kishan as captain was also based on long-term planning, with both Kishan and Sooryavanshi viewed as players capable of remaining in India’s setup for many years.“The vice-captain’s role isn’t about status,” Vardhan said. “It’s about what a young player can learn while working alongside the captain.”Former Odisha cricketer and current selector-coach Pravanjan Mullick echoed those views, pointing out that Sooryavanshi has already served as Bihar’s vice-captain in first-class cricket.“Ishan is the captain and, as wicketkeeper, he is involved in every phase of the game,” Mullick told Cricinfo. “This gives Vaibhav an opportunity to understand leadership without putting the responsibility of captaining the side on him. We want him to grow, maybe one day he could even captain India. That’s the thought behind giving him the vice-captaincy.”Cricinfo also reported that Easwaran was intentionally not considered for the vice-captain’s role. The selection committee reportedly felt it would not be appropriate for the vastly experienced batter to serve as deputy to the comparatively inexperienced Kishan.
