The Indian team management has announced that KL Rahul will be the vice-captain for the Test team after Rohit Sharma pulled out of the Test series in South Africa. Rohit, who was named as the new vice-captain succeeding Ajinkya Rahane, sustained an injury during training on Monday (December 13) and will no longer be part of the Test series.
The news broke in the middle of the ongoing captaincy controversy surrounding Virat Kohli and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Rahul, who has captained India in one T20I in New Zealand, has previously stood deputy in charge in the limited-overs format. The Indian team landed in South Africa in the midweek with strict quarantine guidelines in place.
The team has started its preparations as Kohli tries to guide India to a series victory in the rainbow nation for the first time. Ajinkya Rahane, who is part of the Indian team, has an unbeaten record for the national side when in charge as the stand-in-captain. The board though has gone with Rahul as he offers consistency with the bat, while Rahane struggles to be part of the contingent given his form slump.
The Test series starts on Boxing Day (December 26) as India take on South Africa in Centurion in the first of three Test match series. The morale of the team should be high as Team India comes into the series having beaten New Zealand 1-0.
India’s tour of South Africa
26-30 December 2021: 1st Test, SuperSport Park, Centurion
03-07 January 2022: 2nd Test, Imperial Wanderers, Johannesburg
11-15 January 2022: 3rd Test, Six Gun Grill Newlands, Cape Town
19 January 2022: 1st ODI, Eurolux Boland Park, Paarl
21 January 2022: 2nd ODI, Eurolux Boland Park, Paarl
23 January 2022: 3rd ODI, Six Gun Grill Newlands, Cape Town
