On Ajinkya Rahane's Selection As Vice-Captain, Sunil Gavaskar's "Missed Opportunity" Retort

26.06.2023 - 14:19 sports.ndtv.com

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the selectors over the appointment of Ajinkya Rahane as vice-captain of the Test team for the upcoming tour of West Indies.

The BCCI announced Team India's squads for the Test and ODI series against the West Indies, starting next month. While Rohit Sharma will lead the team in both formats, Rahane's appointment as vice-captain has raised several eyebrows.

Rahane was recalled to the side for the WTC Final against Australia, and was India's top performer with the bat in the match.

Gavaskar feels while there is nothing wrong in appointing Rahane as vice-captain, the selectors missed an opportunity to groom someone, who can take the team forward. "There is nothing wrong in having him [Ajinkya Rahane] as the vice-captain, but a missed opportunity to groom a young player.

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Cheteshwar Pujara has been dominating headlines after the veteran batter was dropped from the Indian cricket team squad for the upcoming Test series against West Indies. Following a disappointing show at the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, he lost his spot in the team with youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad receiving maiden call-ups. However, it looks like Pujara have come with a perfect response to the snub as he slammed a century for West Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy match against Central Zone. The innings had 13 boundaries.

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After the debacle in the World Test Championship final against Australia, Team India is all set to face West Indies in an all-format tour. The WTC final, which was played at The Oval, saw a comeback of veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane to the Test team, who had last played for India in 2022. Few months ago, Rahane was not even in consideration for India's Test squad but after a successful IPL stint with the Chennai Super Kings, he found himself a place in the WTC final and emerged as India's leading run-scorer in the match. To add a cherry on the cake, the right-handed batter also got back his position as the vice-captain for the Test series against West Indies.

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