India, July 30 -- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's elevation to East Zone vice-captain has triggered debate over whether such responsibility should be placed on a 16-year-old, but one of the selectors involved in the decision believes it could be another important step in the teenager's rapid development - and potentially towards an India captaincy in the future.

Pravanjan Mullick, the former Odisha cricketer who was part of the East Zone selection meeting, explained that Sooryavanshi had deliberately been handed the responsibility without being made the team's primary leader.

"He has not been made the captain. He has only been made the vice-captain. The captain is Ishan Kishan. Besides, Ishan is a wicketkeeper, so he will be actively involved th...