<p>The announcement in Mumbai on Wednesday of Virat Kohli’s elevation as the Indian squad’s vice-captain for the Asia Cup was a clear indication that the Kris Srikkanth-led selection panel sees him as a cricketer who could potentially lead the team in the near future. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The panel met in Mumbai Wednesday morning to select the team for the Asia Cup in Dhaka beginning March 12.<br /><br />The selectors’ choice for 23-year-old Kohli over Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina, who have captained the team previously, means the panel has found in him a suitable deputy to skipper M S Dhoni.<br /><br />Sachin Tendulkar will remain part of the 15-member team for the Asia cup, while Virender Sehwag has been “rested” along with the fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav.<br /><br />“I think the point is we all have to look forward to a slightly futuristic point of view. The time has also come to groom youngsters in captaincy,” Srikkanth told reporters.<br /><br />Given how Kohli’s stock in the team has grown over the last two years, he has firmly established himself as the future captain.<br /><br /> The highest run-getter in ODIs in 2011 (1,381 runs in 34 games at over 47) may have convinced the powers-that-be of his credentials, with Tuesday’s match-winning century against Sri Lanka at Hobart, being the clincher.<br /><br />Officially, Sehwag may have been rested, but events of the past fortnight, before the media and performances on the field, have provided enough fodder to think otherwise.</p>
<p>The announcement in Mumbai on Wednesday of Virat Kohli’s elevation as the Indian squad’s vice-captain for the Asia Cup was a clear indication that the Kris Srikkanth-led selection panel sees him as a cricketer who could potentially lead the team in the near future. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The panel met in Mumbai Wednesday morning to select the team for the Asia Cup in Dhaka beginning March 12.<br /><br />The selectors’ choice for 23-year-old Kohli over Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina, who have captained the team previously, means the panel has found in him a suitable deputy to skipper M S Dhoni.<br /><br />Sachin Tendulkar will remain part of the 15-member team for the Asia cup, while Virender Sehwag has been “rested” along with the fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav.<br /><br />“I think the point is we all have to look forward to a slightly futuristic point of view. The time has also come to groom youngsters in captaincy,” Srikkanth told reporters.<br /><br />Given how Kohli’s stock in the team has grown over the last two years, he has firmly established himself as the future captain.<br /><br /> The highest run-getter in ODIs in 2011 (1,381 runs in 34 games at over 47) may have convinced the powers-that-be of his credentials, with Tuesday’s match-winning century against Sri Lanka at Hobart, being the clincher.<br /><br />Officially, Sehwag may have been rested, but events of the past fortnight, before the media and performances on the field, have provided enough fodder to think otherwise.</p>
