New Delhi: Opener KL Rahul will become the vice-captain of the Indian team for the three-Test series against South Africa starting December 26. BCCI sources confirmed this on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma was named Virat Kohli’s successor for the series but was ruled out of the Test series due to a hamstring strain. Rahul has played 40 Tests so far. The 29-year-old has scored 2321 runs in this format at an average of 35.16 with the help of six centuries. Rahul is being seen as the future Indian captain.
A senior BCCI official confirmed this and said, “KL Rahul is going to be the vice-captain for the three-Test series.” PTI-Bhasha reported on December 13 that Rahul is the front-runner in the race for vice-captaincy.
Rohit, who was named vice-captain for the Test series in place of Ajinkya Rahane, suffered a strain on his left leg during a net session in Mumbai ahead of the tour. It will take him at least three to four weeks to recover from this. It would have been difficult for the selectors to give this responsibility to Rahane again as his place in the playing XI is not confirmed. With this, it is too early for Rishabh Pant to be promoted as the vice-captain of the national team.
Rahul is currently one of the few specialist batsmen who play in all formats. Rahul’s age and experience also go in his favor who can take over the reins of the team for a long time after Kohli. It is also expected that Rahul will be appointed as the vice-captain in the limited-overs format in the coming days. His name is also being discussed for the captain of the new franchise of the Indian Premier League in Lucknow.
