Former India opening batter Wasim Jaffer said that he “was surprised” KL Rahul was given the responsibility of captaining India in the second Test in Johannesburg.
KL Rahul made his India captaincy debut in the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg. He, however, couldn’t mark the occasion with a win as India lost the game by 7 wickets against the Proteas. Rahul was asked to lead the team in the absence of regular captain Virat Kohli, who did not play the second Test due to a spasm on his upper back. Former India opening batter Wasim Jaffer feels that Rahul wasn’t the right choice, and the responsibility should’ve been handed to Ajinkya Rahane.
The management decided to strip Rahane off the vice-captaincy, and handed the role to Rohit Sharma, while announcing the squad for the ongoing tour.
However, with Rohit currently out injured, Rahul got a nod from the team management to lead the team in the second Test in the absence of Kohli.
Jaffer said he was surprised with the team management’s decision, and pointed out Rahane’s unbeaten record as captain of India’s Test team.
“I was surprised by the management’s decision. When you have someone as good as Ajinkya Rahane available who has not lost any Test as a captain and won you a Test series in Australia, do you need to give the Test captaincy to KL Rahul?” Jaffer told InsideSport.
“I have nothing against KL Rahul. He is young and has captained the Punjab Kings. People are thinking about him as a future captain. But I think Rahane should have led the side in Kohli’s absence,” he added.
Speaking on the absence of Kohli, Jaffer said: “India definitely missed Virat Kohli, the captain, because he brings so much aggression to the field. So, they missed that energy.”
Kohli is likely to return to the playing XI for the third Test that begins from January 11 in Cape Town.
