Ajinkya Rahane is said to be the first choice for the vice-captaincy role
In-form batsman, Ajinkya Rahane, and experienced off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, are said to be in contention for the vacant vice-captain post in the Indian Test team. MS Dhoni's sudden retirement from the longest form of the game has given rise to a debate on who would take over as Virat Kohli's deputy.
"It will be interesting to see the choice of selection committee led by Sandeep Patil and the feedback they get from Team Director, Ravi Shastri. Ravi's point of view will be key in this regard. As of now, the two players who are in with a chance are Rahane and Ashwin," a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source was quoted as saying.
According to sources, Rahane, who is now a permanent fixture across all formats, looks to be the front-runner but Ashwin, by virtue of his seniority cannot be ruled out either. "What works for Rahane is his calm demeanour which could possibly compliment Kohli's aggressive intent. They could prove to be the ideal foil for each other. Also, Rahane has the performance to merit that place (1026 runs in 13 Tests with 3 centuries)," the official said.
While 28-year-old Ashwin is senior in terms of number of Test matches (23), there have been times when he has not found a place in the playing eleven in overseas Tests. During the ongoing tour of Australia, there was a warm-up game where Ishant Sharma led the team for a session as Virat Kohli and a few others rested, having attended Phillip Hughes' funeral.
As per BCCI functioning, there is no official vice-captain when India play a home series. But, as a convention, there is always a designated vice-captain when they are on overseas tours. India's next overseas Test assignment is a tour of Bangladesh, post the Indian Premier League.
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