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After the debacle in the World Test Championship final against Australia, Team India is all set to face West Indies in an all-format tour. The WTC final, which was played at The Oval, saw a comeback of veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane to the Test team, who had last played for India in 2022. Few months ago, Rahane was not even in consideration for India’s Test squad but after a successful IPL stint with the Chennai Super Kings, he found himself a place in the WTC final and emerged as India’s leading run-scorer in the match. To add a cherry on the cake, the right-handed batter also got back his position as the vice-captain for the Test series against West Indies.
Rahane’s appointment as the deputy of Rohit Sharma has received a mixed reaction from fans and cricket experts. Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim expressed disappointment over this selection and stated that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja could have been a better option for a vice-captain.
“I don’t know why people don’t even talk about Ravindra Jadeja. He’s a regular in all formats for the Indian side and he has had major contributions to India’s test success also. So how come he’s never spoken about as a leader? He’s irreplaceable in all three formats for the national side and he’s equally capable of leading the national side. Or if not him then maybe Shubman Gill if the Indian selectors thought that he is the future. I am just saying, there are some candidates,” Karim told Sportskeeda.
Karim further stated that the selectors should have appointed a youngster like Shubman Gill in order to groom him for captaincy as it would have helped the team in long term.
“When you’re looking at transition, when you pick youngsters like Yashavi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, then why would you make Ajinkya Rahane the vice-captain. What is the logic behind it? He made a comeback after being dropped from the Test side. He played one Test match. He did well, that is perfectly fine. But if you’re looking for the future, if you want to build a side, if you want to groom a cricketer, then why would you go back to Ajinkya Rahane? I mean, with due respect to him and his capabilities as a leader, we need to look at grooming a youngster who could have taken over from Rohit Sharma in times to come,” Karim added.
Earlier, former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar had also stated that the selectors missed out on a great opportunity to groom young players for captaincy by appointing Rahane as the vice-captain.
“There is nothing wrong in having him [Ajinkya Rahane] as the vice-captain, but a missed opportunity to groom a young player. At least, tell a young player that we are looking at you as a future captain. So, he starts to think as a future leader,” Gavaskar had said on Sports Today.
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