Tilak Varma he probably got one of the biggest promotions of his career, but the old Indian Mohammad Kaif he reminded the youngster that the vice-captain comes without any guarantee in the Indian team’s setup.The 23-year-old left-hander has recently been appointed as India’s new T20I vice-captain following a major change in leadership despite the team winning the T20 World Cup earlier this year. For major changes, Suryakumar Yadav he was stripped of the captaincy and left in the squad, and Shreyas Iyer to take control. Axar Patel, who became the vice-captain, also lost his position as the selectors turned to Tilak.While the selection shows the faith the team management has in Tilak, Kaif believes the youngster can’t afford to assume that management guarantees him a permanent presence. Speaking on her YouTube channel, Kaif said that recent examples prove that leadership positions offer little protection when acting.“Tilak Varma is the vice-captain, yes. But vice-captains have been demoted before. Being the vice-captain does not mean that Tilak Varma’s place in the team is guaranteed. If Tilak starts thinking, ‘I am the vice-captain, my place is safe,’ this is not the way this Indian team works. In the form they can see Axar Patel has been demoted who was the vice-captain in the past. You remember that. He is no longer the vice-captain. The team has moved to Tilak,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.Kaif’s comments come against the backdrop of several recent elections. Shubman Gillthough he served as India’s vice-captain for most of the T20I matches, he eventually lost his place and missed out on the T20 World Cup squad. Axar, too, has been replaced in the leadership team after the recent restructuring.According to Kaif, this team management has created a culture where every player, regardless of reputation or name, has to keep practicing to hold their place.“So in this Indian team, no place is guaranteed. Not even the captain. There is no permanent vice-captain. Everyone has to find their place. Everyone has to play in every game. This is a part of Indian cricket that we have not seen before. This is the opinion of the coaches and selectors now. Your place in the team is on the line, so Tila can start her game in this team. The XI is not guaranteed going forward,” he added.
