Former India batter turned commentator Aakash Chopra has questioned the BCCI selection committee’s move to hand the Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul. While Rishabh Pant was the vice-captain earlier, the selectors made the new appointment in May this year as well. While responding to a fan’s query in a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra added that a vice-captain should either be of the same age as the captain or younger. He also added that Rahul is not going to be named the India captain after Gill, as he is around eight years older than the captain.
“I am with you on this one. I have never thought from that perspective. You think about a vice-captain from what perspective? That he is next in line, that if the captain goes, the second one will come, but the second should either be of the same age or younger,” Chopra said.
“If you are making a vice-captain who is eight years older than the captain, as good as KL Rahul is, he is a good captaincy candidate, he has got a good cricketing brain, but he is not getting younger. If he is doing the vice-captaincy for a 26-year-old captain, he is not the next in line. That is the reality,” he again added.
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However, the change in vice-captaincy was announced when India released the squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan as well.
Speaking on the appointment, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had then said, “I mean, KL’s been Test captain before. Yeah, I mean obviously Rishabh was vice-captain, and we want him to be the best batter that he can be and that he’s always been in Test cricket. So, no, there’s no other reason.”
“Futuristic, I mean that’s the best option we think at this point that we have as far as vice-captain with experience, in case we saw during the South Africa series as well, when Shubman got injured, and KL provides us with the necessary experience that you need in case the situation arises. Plus, you know he’s obviously had a really good tour of England and against the West Indies, and lots of experience,” he concluded.
