Team India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after inflicting a six-wicket loss on Australia in the second Test match in Delhi. The Indian spinners made a mockery of Australian batters as the match finished in three days. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have been the stars for India with the ball as they have enjoyed plenty of assistance from the pitch.
Apart from the Indian spinners' tremendous performance so far, KL Rahul's poor production with the bat had sparked a major outrage among a certain section of fans and former cricketers, who have been urging the Team management to drop the right-handed batter from the playing XI.
Rahul was stripped of his vice-captaincy tag when the Indian squad for the final two Tests against Australia was announced. The Karnataka batter has tallied just 38 runs in three innings and is now under monumental pressure to perform if he keeps his place in the playing XI for the 3rd Test.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri gave his view on India opting against a vice-captain for the remaining two matches against Australia while affirming that 'red-hot' Shubman Gill will challenge Rahul for a place in the playing XI.
"The team management will decide (the vice-captain). They know his (KL Rahul's) form, they know his mental state. They know how they should be watching someone like Shubman Gill. I, for one, always had the belief (to) never appoint a vice-captain for India. I would rather go with by best XI, and if (the) captain has to leave the field, you'd zero in on a player that can take over at the time, simply because you don't need to create complications," Shastri said on the ICC Review podcast.
"If vice-captain doesn't perform, someone can take his place; at least the tag is not there. I'm being blunt and brutal, I never like vice-captain in home condition. Overseas, it's different. Here, you want prime form, you want someone like Shubman Gill, who's red hot. He will challenge. He has to bang that door down and get into the side. Now, he's not the vice-captain, it has to be team management's decision," the former coach added.
Rohit Sharma's men have retained the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy by winning the opening two Test matches. The 3rd Test is scheduled to begin on March 01 in Indore.
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