‘It is the right choice with perfect timing' – Saba Karim on KL Rahul’s appointment as Test vice-captain

India’s tour of South Africa is about to start from December 26 as both the teams will engage in the Test series first. The Indian team arrived in the Proteas nation last week and went through some rigorous practice sessions. The team will be missing a few key players, including Rohit Sharma, who was appointed as the side’s new vice-captain and was ruled out after sustaining an injury.

The Indian selectors have named KL Rahul as Virat Kohli’s deputy for the upcoming series. Recently, Rahul has been in great form and made some significant runs during the England tour. Rahul has also been named as the vice-captain of the limited-overs team.

Former national selector and wicketkeeper Saba Karim feels that selectors made the right choice by picking Rahul as the vice-captain. He also mentioned that the timing of him being promoted to this position is perfect for the future of Indian cricket. During an interaction with India News, Karim said:

“According to me, it is the right choice and the timing is perfect. This is right because a lot of times, the selectors talk to the team management, what sort of feedback is coming from there, what is going on in their mind about who can prove to be a capable leader in the future, and then only the decision is taken.”

KL Rahul is a player who can captain in the future: Saba Karim

Karim also said that Kohli, India’s Test captain, would also be happy with this decision. Rahul captained India in the fifth T20I against New Zealand in February 2020.

“It is good that the selectors have taken their time and then made the announcement that KL Rahul will be the vice-captain in the upcoming series. I feel captain Virat Kohli would also believe that in Rohit Sharma’s absence,” Karim added.

The former wicketkeeper also mentioned that Rahul is one of the key players in the current Indian squad who is a potential captain in the near future. He even said that Rahul could be the next captain of the Indian Test team.

“KL Rahul is a player who can captain in the future. He has done fantastic captaincy in the IPL for the Punjab Kings, his performances have been good and KL Rahul is currently a multi-format player,” Karim concluded.