As Team India is raring to leave for South Africa, the selectors and team management are discussing the probable names for the vice-captain post for the three-Test series. Newly-appointed vice-captain Rohit Sharma will be missing the Test series due to a hamstring injury. As per the reports of TOI, KL Rahul is the frontrunner to be the vice-captain at the moment and the selectors are keen to announce his appointment before the commencement of the first Test in Centurion.

The new vice-captain wasn’t named while announcing Rohit’s injury because regular Test captain Virat Kohli hadn’t been consulted on the matter. According to sources, the selectors have no intention of going back to Ajinkya Rahane. The other senior player in contention was Ravichandran Ashwin. Both Ashwin and Rahane have been playing crucial roles in the leadership group.

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Informing the same, one of the sources of TOI said, “There’s no point in looking back. At the moment, the odds are tilted towards Rahul. Rahane is not a certainty to start in the playing XI (because of his poor form). Even in the case of Ashwin, the team management has often not played him abroad. In that case, it’s tough to make either of them the vice-captain. The idea is to announce Kohli’s deputy in a day or two.”

Jasprit Bumrah can be a good option but the team’s workload management plans cast doubt over his regular participation. It is learned that the selectors and the new team management want to address the upcoming transition phase in the team. The idea is to build young leaders who can serve Indian cricket for a longer period.

Incidentally, Rishabh Pant is also in the plans of the selectors to be groomed as a future part of the leadership group for the future. The Indian team is slated to leave for South Africa from Mumbai on December 16 afternoon. In a relief for the players, they aren’t required to serve any quarantine.

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A BCCI source of TOI informed, “It is important that the two teams stay at a place where there are no other guests. Even the India ‘A’ and South Africa ‘A’ teams were kept in a hotel where there were no other guests. A resort gives breathing space to the players and their families. They can indulge in outdoor activities and not be confined to closed premises.”