Leg and Off: Should India appoint Yashasvi Jaiswal their vice-captain in Tests? 

Change seems to be the running theme of Indian cricket at the moment, be it approach or personnel. Transition is imminent, which leads to the need for an overhaul in the leadership regime. Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, who has led India on multiple occasions in Rohit Sharma's absence, is viewed as the successor, but what about the deputies?

India have had a line of vice-captains in the recent past and have thus groomed several candidates. However, in the upcoming transition period and the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, head coach Gautam Gambhir apparently prefers Yashasvi Jaiswal to be the vice-captain, fast-tracking him into the leadership role only 18 months after his debut.

On that note, let us look at the two sides of the coin regarding Yashasvi Jaiswal's potential appointment as vice-captain in the near future.

#1 India need a fresh, dynamic presence in the leadership group

India have witnessed a gradual shift when it comes to approach and selection calls, but the only thing that has remained unchanged has been the captaincy. Rohit Sharma has often been blamed for not being proactive enough, and a lack of runs also impacted his place in a huge way.

With a change in captaincy also imminent now, India needs to bring in faces that are familiar with forward-thinking, aligning with the fast-paced nature of the game. While Bumrah will be there to oversee the proceedings, India need to assemble a leadership group with similar-minded players.

Seniors will understandably be not a part of the inside circle, with only their external guidance needed in their twilight years. Instead, players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal are better fit for such roles, given that they are bonafide members of the playing XI, and far more familiar with the demands of the modern game than the rest.

Jaiswal, being the youngest of the lot, will provide a fresh perspective, which India are in search of amid a feeling of being lost after consecutive comprehensive series losses.

#2 Senior players will be there to guide him if he is appointed now instead of later

If not already, the upcoming cycle could be the final phase for some of the senior members on the side. This brief window can be used to bring Jaiswal up to speed in terms of leadership since he will have guidance right behind him.

If the management decides to stall on this ambitious move, then by the time Jaiswal gets such an opportunity in the future, he will not have many seniors to turn to, since the transition will be well complete by then.

Indian captains in the modern era have had the opportunity to learn the tricks and trades from the seniors before taking on the task. Thrusting Jaiswal into the vice-captaincy role when there are still prominent figures left in the dressing room will make him a better captain in the long run.

#3 Disrupts the already unstable leadership hierarchy

A plaguing concern for India across formats is that there is no definite leadership hierarchy and structure in place. With each tour, there is a new captain or deputy, leading to an entirely new pecking order, which is only a short-lived one.

In Tests, KL Rahul was once viewed as a future leader and was appointed as vice-captain. However, he was removed after leading the team in three Tests, winning two out of those.

For a long time, Rishabh Pant has been touted as a future Test captain. Along those lines, it should be the wicket-keeper batter that automatically is elevated to vice-captain when Bumrah takes over. If the pecking order is based on seniority, and leadership experience rather than mere intuition and potential, then there are more candidates above Yashasvi Jaiswal for the role.

Granted that their long-term prospects look bleaker than Jaiswal, who is in it for the long haul, having already established himself as a permanent member of the playing XI, but there is a case for the hierarchy to be respected.

#4 Lack of genuine leadership experience

Some of Yashasvi Jaiswal's peers like Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad have already led India, but leading in Test matches is a whole different task altogether. With each contest bearing serious implications in the World Test Championship (WTC), there is no room for error like in bilateral white-ball matches.

In such a high-pressure environment, thrusting a youngster who is already playing his part with the bat seems needless, particularly when there are other options. While they may not be concrete options, they are at least far more experienced than Jaiswal.

The opening batter has yet to play for India in ODIs and does not have much leadership experience, even at the first-class or youth level. He is in a zen-like state at the moment when it comes to scoring runs, so why disrupt him from that state by burdening him with the additional baggage of captaincy?

India need batters more than captains at this juncture, amid the constant batting collapses and lack of temperament.

Furthermore, this 'vice-captain' role is not a glorified post like in the past. Given Bumrah's injury record and workload management, the current vice-captain is more like the 'second captain', who inevitably will have to lead the squad, and not just act as the deputy throughout.