Ajinkya Rahane regained vice-captaincy ahead of India’s tour of West Indies (AP Photo)
Saba Karim lashed out at the selectors for picking Rahane as the vice-captain as he said that it’s time for India to groom the youngster who can take over the charge from Rohit Sharma.
Former BCCI chief selector Saba Karim feels India should have named Ravindra Jadeja or Shubman Gill as India’s vice-captain for the upcoming Test series against West Indies. India made big changes in their red-ball squad for the West Indies tour as they dropped Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav while giving chances to youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Kumar.
Meanwhile, the selectors made a shocking decision by re-appointing Ajinkya Rahane as the vice-captain after he made a solid comeback in the World Test Championship Final.
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Saba Karim said that Ravindra Jadeja could have been the ideal choice for the vice-captaincy as he is irreplaceable in all three formats. While he said Shubman Gill could also be an ideal option for the vice-captain as he is touted as the future of Indian cricket.
“I don’t know why people don’t even talk about Ravindra Jadeja. He’s a regular in all formats for the Indian side and he has had major contributions to India’s test success also. So how come he’s never spoken about as a leader? He’s irreplaceable in all three formats for the national side and he’s equally capable of leading the national side. Or if not him then maybe Shubman Gill if the Indian selectors thought that he is the future. I am just saying, there are some candidates,” Karim told Sportskeeda.
The former India wicketkeeper further lashed out at the selectors for picking Rahane as the vice-captain as he said that it’s time for India to groom the youngster who can take over the charge from Rohit Sharma.
“When you’re looking at transition, when you pick youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, then why would you make Ajinkya Rahane the vice-captain? What is the logic behind it? He made a comeback after being dropped from the Test side. He played one Test match. He did well, that is perfectly fine. But if you’re looking for the future, if you want to build a side, if you want to groom a cricketer, then why would you go back to Ajinkya Rahane? I mean, with due respect to him and his capabilities as a leader, we need to look at grooming a youngster who could have taken over from Rohit Sharma in times to come,” Karim added.
