Vice-captaincy musical chair continues, Ajinkya Rahane likely to lose VC role for SA series

Vice-captaincy musical chair continues, Rahane to lose VC role in SA series

Wednesday, Jul 26, 2023 11:01 pm

After two underwhelming performances in the Caribbean, Ajinkya Rahane's Test spot is under threat once again. Hence, with Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah coming back, either of them could be India's new vice-captain for SA tour.

India Cricket Team has had a long list of vice-captains over the last two World Test Championship cycles. And with Ajinkya Rahane failing to live up to the expectation in two innings in West Indies, it’s time for the BCCI Selection Committee to hand over the role to a future captaincy candidate. In this case, it is likely to be Shreyas Iyer or Jasprit Bumrah for India Tour of South Africa (IND vs SA).

India VCs since during Rohit Sharma captaincy:

KL Rahul
Cheteshwar Pujara
Ajinkya Rahane
Jasprit Bumrah
Rishabh Pant
Ravindra Jadeja

While Vikram Rathour has claimed that Ajinkya Rahane will be an important player on the tour, there is no guarantee. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer will be back, with the latter taking the No 5 spot. Rahul has no place yet even if he is on the tour.

“Ajinkya was a stop-gap solution. But whether he will retain his place is a different discussion because there is domestic cricket. If he scores well, the door is still open. As for who will be the next vice-captain, it’s up to the selection committee. They will take a call,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.

Who will replace Ajinkya Rahane as India’s VC in IND vs SA?

With scores of 3 & 8 in two innings, Ajinkya Rahane did not offer confidence.
Hence, even if he retains his place in the squad, it is tough for him to feature in the XI.
Shubman Gill will get a longer run at No 3 while Yashasvi Jaiswal has earned enough credits to remain in the squad.
That leaves a spot for only No 5. Ajinkya Rahane will have to fight with Shreyas Iyer for the spot.
But as the selectors want to groom the next Test captain, it is likely that Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant (if fit) will get the nod.
It’s still not clear if Pant will be fit for South Africa tour. However, if he does, he can get the nod.
The other candidate is Jasprit Bumrah. The premium pacer has been a premium member of the National Cricket Academy through a string of injuries.
However, as he has already led India in 1 Test, he could take up the vice-captaincy mantle. if he is fit, he will be one of the first names on the team sheet.

Also Read: India Squad for Ireland tour next week, no Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill

Will Rohit quit Test Captaincy post-World Cup?

However, a lot of important discussions need to take place before India tour South Africa and pick a new vice-captain removing Ajinkya Rahane after just 2 Tests on his comeback. The most important one is to decide whether Rohit Sharma will continue as the captain or even Tests. It’s unlikely that Rohit can continue playing all three formats till the current World Test Championship cycle ends in June 2025.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar will have a discussion with Rohit post-World Cup. If Rohit steps down from Tests, India do not have a captaincy candidate who can take over immediately. KL Rahul is struggling to keep his spot in Test team while Shreyas Iyer is not ready. Jasprit Bumrah too has been struggling with injury. It’s still uncertain whether Rishabh Pant will be back for the SA tour. Hence, it is likely that Rohit will continue for another year at least.

“One of the jobs of the chief selector is to speak to the players on their future plans. Rohit and Virat are not immune to that. Yes, we would have wanted to continue as long as they want. But all great players have a time to consider their plans. Playing three formats and IPL won’t be an easy job,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport earlier.