"There will be no loss of face" - Aakash Chopra on Ajinkya Rahane not being made India's vice-captain for the Test series vs South Africa
Aakash Chopra believes Ajinkya Rahane not being appointed Team India's vice-captain has opened the door for him to be left out of the playing XI in the Test series against South Africa.
Rohit Sharma replaced Rahane as India's Test vice-captain when the initial squad for the South Africa tour was announced. KL Rahul was subsequently named Virat Kohli's deputy when India's limited-overs skipper was ruled out of the Test series due to a hamstring injury.
NEWS - KL Rahul named vice-captain of Test team for South Africa series.
KL Rahul replaces Rohit Sharma as vice-captain, who was ruled out of the Test series owing to a hamstring injury.
More details here - bcci.tv/articles/2021/… #SAvIND | @klrahul11 https://t.co/6pQPTns9C7
Reflecting on the development in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the decision has given the Indian team the option to drop Ajinkya Rahane. He said:
"KL Rahul has been appointed vice-captain of the Indian Test team. Rahane has lost that designation. I think the doors have been opened that if you don't want to play him in the first match, there will be no loss of face."
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Ajinkya Rahane was Team India's skipper in the last Test he played. Chopra elaborated:
"Rohit is not there, he has become the designated vice-captain of the Indian Test team. But when Rohit was not available and Virat Kohli was not there, you made Rahane the captain, Rahul was part of the team but Rahane was the captain and not Rahul. After that Rahul got injured and Suryakumar came into the team."
Rahane led Team India in the Kanpur Test against the Kiwis. He missed the next Test in Mumbai due to a hamstring injury.
"You don't want to make Ajinkya Rahane your vice-captain and then drop him" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra opined that Ajinkya Rahane not being made the vice-captain might be the right decision. He reasoned:
"If you don't want to play Rahane, if there is no place for him in the first match because Rahul, Mayank, Pujara, Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Pant - if your top six are going to look like this, you don't want to make Rahane your vice-captain and then drop him, because that just leaves a sour taste in the mouth."
Only two India batters, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, average over 50 in Test matches in South Africa (min. 3 games played).
Will Rahane's experience help him feature in the XI on Boxing Day?
#SAvIND https://t.co/BvxBKHjuzw
The 44-year-old also recalled India's last tour of South Africa when Ajinkya Rahane was dropped despite being the vice-captain. Chopra observed:
"This has already been done before when Kohli and Shastri's combination dropped Rahane in South Africa only, he was the vice-captain - not fair."
Kohli and Ravi Shastri opted to play Rohit Sharma ahead of Rahane in the first two Tests of India's last visit to South Africa. The latter returned for the final Test and was the visitors' top run-getter in the second innings, a knock which helped the Kohli-led side put it across the Proteas by 63 runs.