India chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the team management picked KL Rahul as Test vice-captain because of his experience and past leadership role in the format, and not as part of any long-term succession plan.
Speaking after India announced the squad for the one-off Test and ODI series against Afghanistan, Agarkar said Rahul offers stability and leadership support if captain Shubman Gill is unavailable due to injury or other reasons.
“I mean, KL's been test captain before, yeah, I mean obviously Rishabh was vice-captain, and we want him to be the best batter that he can be and that he's always been in test cricket. So, no, there's no other reason,” Agarkar told reporters.
He pointed to India’s tour of South Africa, where Gill’s injury highlighted the need for an experienced deputy. Agarkar also backed Rahul’s recent performances in England and against the West Indies, saying his form and experience made him the preferred choice.
"Futuristic, I mean that's the best option we think at this point that we have as far as vice-captain with experience, in case we saw during the South Africa series as well, when Shubman got injured, and KL provides us with the necessary experience that you need in case the situation arises. Plus, you know he's obviously had a really good tour of England and against the West Indies, so and lots of experience," Agarkar added.
Rahul replaced Pant as vice-captain after India named its squad for the Afghanistan series. The one-off Test starts on June 6, followed by a three-match ODI series from June 14.
India Test squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (VC), Sai Sudarshan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel.
(With inputs from ANI)
