3 players who can replace Ajinkya Rahane as India's Test vice-captain

Veteran batsman Ajinkya Rahane has indeed been a vital cog of Indian cricket over the years. Batting at number five for the major part of his career, the right-handed batsman has piled up a mountain of runs and guided India to many victories. He, in fact, scored runs in several different conditions, earning praises from experts and fans worldwide. Rahane’s stellar show with the bat also earned him the vice-captaincy of the Test team.

The Mumbai batsman proved his mettle in the leadership department as well, captaining the team with precision whenever regular skipper Virat Kohli was unavailable. Under Rahane, India even registered a famous Test series win in Australia earlier this year. However, the 33-year-old has been far away from his prime lately. Rahane hasn’t done much with the bat since his century in the Boxing-day Test match last year.

Needless to mention, Rahane’s inconsistent show has earned him a lot of criticism. Several fans and experts have even questioned his place in the playing XI. With Rahane being the vice-captain of the Test team, his successor in the leadership department will also be required if the team management sacks him from playing XI in the future.

Meanwhile, here we look at 3 players who can be new vice-captains of the Indian Test team

1. Rohit Sharma

Vice-captain of the limited-overs team, Rohit Sharma is no alien with the leadership role. In fact, captaincy is something that brings the best out of the Hitman. In Virat Kohli’s absence, he has led India in several limited-overs matches and tasted a considerable amount of success as well. A section of fans even wants Rohit to become India’s permanent white-ball captain.

Hence, Rohit can be looked as India’s new Test vice-captain. Not to forget, the 34-year-old has been a vital cog of the Test team ever since he started opening in the format in 2019. He has played several scintillating knocks in this period, guiding India to one sensational win after another.

Rohit has played some fine knocks in the ongoing England tour as well. He made a well-paced 83 in the Lord’s Test, earning praises from worldwide. All these factors make Rohit an ideal vice-captain of the Indian Test team. Hence, it would be interesting to see if the team management and official have a similar think-tank.