Keralite C P Rizwan will lead the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Asia Cup T20 qualifiers starting in Oman on Saturday.
The middle-order batter replaces left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza at the helm. Raza will continue to be the captain in One-Day Internationals.
The 34-year-old Rizwan hails from Thalassery.
Another Keralite - Alishan Sharafu from Kanhangad - is also part of the 17-member squad.
Rizwan became the first Keralite to score an ODI century last year against Ireland.
Rizwan represented Kerala in the junior levels and captained the U-25 state team.
He moved to the UAE in 2014 and landed a job in Sharjah. He continued to play cricket there and was able to catch the attention of the local cricket fraternity with consistent performances in domestic tournaments. In 2018, Rizwan completed the four years required for him to be eligible to play for the UAE and was duly included in the national team.
An electrical engineering graduate from the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Rizwan made his debut for the UAE on January 26, 2019, in an ODI against Nepal.
Rizwan has so far played 29 ODIs and seven T20Is, while the 19-year-old Sharafu has represented the UAE in seven ODIs and six T20Is.
