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Cricket Players'When you've someone as good as Rahane, why give captaincy to Rahul?': Ex-IND opener questions team's 'surprising' move
KL Rahul was given the responsibility to lead India in Johannesburg after regular captain Virat Kohli incurred an upper back spasm.
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer on Friday questioned the team management's move to name KL Rahul the captain for the second Test against South Africa in place of the very experienced Ajinkya Rahane. He termed the move "surprising" as he outlined Rahane's captaincy credentials.
_1641618710096_1641618716308.jpg "Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul (Reuters)")
Rahul, who was already the vice-captain of the Test side, was given the responsibility to lead India in Johannesburg after regular captain Virat Kohli incurred an upper back spasm. India lost the Test by seven wickets as South Africa levelled the three-match series 1-1. Soon after the defeat, Rahul was criticised for his captaincy during the Test by fans on social media.
Jaffer, in conversation with InsideSport, said that the management should have handed Rahane the responsibility to lead the side given that he is yet to lose a match as a skipper. He led India six times, winning four times, which included a series win in Australia in the absence of quite a few regular members, while two others ended in a draw.
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“I am surprised by the team management. When you have someone as good as Ajinkya Rahane available who has not lost any Test as a captain and won you a Test series in Australia, do you need to give the Test captaincy to KL Rahul?”
“I have nothing against KL Rahul. He is young and has captained the Punjab Kings. People are thinking about him as a future captain. But I think Rahane should have led the side in Kohli’s absence," he added.
This was the first time Rahul led the Indian side in any format. He is slated to led the Indian team in the ODI series against South Africa which will begin from January 19.
Jaffer further admitted that India missed Kohli's energy level that he brought to the field.
“India definitely missed Virat Kohli, the captain, because he brings so much aggression to the field. When you have such a player on the field, you know you will be held accountable if you make a mistake. So, they missed that energy.”
