The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee named Ravindra Jadeja as Shubman Gill’s deputy when the squad for the two-Test series against West Indies was announced. Jadeja got the vice-captaincy role ahead of KL Rahul and pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the absence of an injured Rishabh Pant. Before the first Test at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Jadeja was asked by former teammate and broadcaster Dinesh Karthik about when did he learn about the team management’s decision. The all-rounder said that he learned it like everyone when the team was announced.
“They didn’t say anything to me. They just announced the team and I saw that besides my name the VC is written, so I was very happy. And as a player, you always gain confidence whenever you see some kind of gesture from the management, captain and coach. At the end of the day, you are always happy to do good and share your experience with the team,” Jadeja told bcci.tv in a video interaction.
“It’s very special for me as a player. They gave me respect because the management, captain, and coach have decided to give me some extra responsibility. I am very happy to do it and whenever the team needed my experience and needed me to say anything regarding planning, I am always happy to do it.”
What did Agarkar say about Jadeja getting vice-captaincy?
Last month, Agarkar said that Jadeja’s experience and form led to him getting the responsibility.
“Rishabh Pant is the vice-captain at the moment and a key player. But unfortunately, he hasn’t quite recovered to make this Test series. We are hopeful he will be available for South Africa. Jaddu has been one of top performers with a lot of experience. So that’s essentially the reason,” Agarkar said in a press conference in Dubai.
Jadeja’s stellar run with bat in England
The 36-year-old has been in good form. On the England tour, he was India’s rock in the middle-order. He was the third-highest run-scorer for India on the tour, scoring 516 runs at an average of 86, including a century and five half-centuries. For England, only Joe Root scored more runs than him. He wasn't at his best with the ball, taking seven wickets at an average of 72.43.
However, in the home series, he will have a huge role to play, especially in the absence of the recently retired Ravichandran Ashwin.