Vinayak Shukla has been appointed as the deputy to Jatinder Singh for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The picture has changed dramatically over the past two years. Jatinder Singh, who failed to make the squad for the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, will now lead Oman in the next global event. Vinayak Shukla has been named his vice-captain.
Oman announced their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka, on Tuesday. The team features five changes from their most recent Asia Cup squad.
Due to form concerns, Jatinder was not included in Oman’s main squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup and was kept only as a reserve at the time.
Now 36, Jatinder is Oman’s highest run-scorer in T20 internationals. He has amassed 1,605 runs in 72 matches, including nine half-centuries. Only former captain Aqib Ilyas has more fifty-plus scores for Oman, with ten.
All-rounders Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale and Jay Odedra have been recalled, along with pacers Shafik Jan and Jiten Ramanandi. Among them, Ramanandi, Jay and Wasim featured in the World Cup qualifiers. Shafik made his Oman debut during the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament, where Sonavale also played.
Despite an impressive showing in last September’s Asia Cup, Amir Kalim has been left out of the World Cup squad. In that tournament, he scored a half-century against India at the age of 43 years and 303 days, setting a record for the oldest player to score a fifty against a full-member nation.
Currently 44, Kalim has scored 718 runs in 54 T20 internationals and has taken 48 wickets with his left-arm spin.
Oman have been placed in ‘B’ group at the World Cup, alongside co-host Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and Ireland. They will begin their campaign on February 9 with a match against Zimbabwe.
Oman T20 World Cup squad
Jatinder Singh (captain), Vinayak Shukla (vice-captain), Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Faisal Shah, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra, Shafik Jan, Ashish Odedra, Jiten Ramanandi, Hasnain Ali Shah.
