NEW DELHI: Opener KL Rahul has been named as the Indian team’s vice-captain for the upcoming three-Test series against South Africa after Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the tour due to injury, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on Saturday.
The 29-year-old is returning to the Test side after missing the series win against New Zealand at home due to a muscle strain. Rahul has played 40 Tests so far and has scored 2321 runs at an average of 35.16, with six centuries under his belt.
“The All-India Senior selection committee has named KL Rahul as vice-captain for the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa. KL Rahul replaces Rohit Sharma as vice-captain, who was ruled out of the Test series owing to a hamstring injury,” the BCCI said in a statement.
Rohit, who had replaced Ajinkya Rahane as the vice-captain for the Test series, suffered a left hamstring injury during the net session in Mumbai, which ruled him out for at least three to four weeks.
For the selectors, it was difficult to go back to Rahane who is no longer a certainty in the Test XI, and possibly, it is too early for Rishabh Pant to be elevated as vice captain of the national team. Rahul, currently, is seen as one of the few all-format specialist batters.
It is also expected that Rahul will be the white-ball deputy to Rohit in the coming days. His name is also doing the rounds for captaining the new IPL Lucknow franchise.
Earlier, the BCCI had said that Priyank Panchal, who was part of the India ‘A’ side that played in a three-match unofficial Test series in South Africa earlier this month, would be added to the Test side as Sharma’s replacement. Virat Kohli-led India take on South Africa in the first Test at Centurion from December 26.
