Muscat, July 6 (IANS) Oman Cricket, the governing body for the sport in the country, has appointed Indian-origin wicketkeeper-batter Vinayak Shukla as captain of the men's national team, heralding it as the start of a new chapter in the country's sporting history.

Shukla, the vice-captain of the team, succeeds Jatinder Singh, who led Oman at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in India earlier this year.

Oman Cricket picked Vinayak Shukla as captain for being a key contributor to the team's growth and success over the years. Omani Cricket made the announcement of his captaincy via a social media post on Monday.

"A New Chapter Begins. Oman Cricket proudly announces Vinayak Shukla as the Captain of the Oman Men’s Cricket Team.

Having been a key contributor to the team's growth and success over the years, Vinayak now takes on the responsibility of leading the national side into its next chapter.

Congratulations, Skipper Vinayak Shukla," Oman Cricket said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The 32-year-old Vinayak Shukla was born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and has been playing for Oman since 2024. He made his ODI debut against Namibia on February 10, 2025, in the Asia Cup and played his maiden T20I against Qatar on December 14, 2024.

Shukla has so far played eight ODIs, scoring 144 runs at an average of 24.00. In T20Is, Shukla has played 13 matches so far, scoring 288 runs, including two half-centuries. He has a top score of 52 not out so far.

Shukla moved to Oman in 2021 in search of better opportunities, following suggestions from one of his coaches. He then took up a Data operator job at National Metal Cans to support his daily expenses.

--IANS

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