KL Rahul sacked as vice captain in white-ball format as Hardik Pandya and Surya Kumar Yadav gain vote of confidence
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KL Rahul
There are wheels within wheels in Indian cricket. For those who watch the RPM (revolutions per minute) changes in cricket, these are, indeed, interesting times. Tuesday night, too, was decisive as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee chairman, Chetan Sharma sprang surprises.
First things first, the common fan was under the impression the term of the selection committee is over. That is why they had wasted no time in picking squads for the tours to New Zealand and Bangladesh, just after the flop show in the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
More recently, even though India huffed and puffed before the Test series win against Bangladesh recently, under KL Rahul’s captaincy, what stood out was how the leader had erred. His decision to leave out Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test, after a stellar performance in the first Test, was baffling. It smacked of bias and the roles of the two Rahuls — coach Dravid and skipper KL — came under the scanner. Had it not been for R. Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer’s batting heroics, India would have been sniffing dust in Bangladesh.
How and why Chetan Sharma was given a fresh lease of life — extension — and again asked to pick squads for the T20 and ODI series against Sri Lanka was fast. The team announcement came late at night. Key takeaways, as First Sportz had written during the World Cup in Australia, Hardik Pandya is the future white ball captain.
He has been named T20 captain against Sri Lanka and deputy to Rohit Sharma in the ODI series. It conveys a big message, Pandya, winning captain of Gujarat Titans in the 2022 IPL is now set for bigger roles. More importantly, he is ready to test his body, notably his back, after surgery. Pandya has, apparently, conveyed to the BCCI think-tank his body is willing to cope with the rigors of ODI cricket as well. India will be hosting the ICC World Cup (ODI format) in 2023 and Pandya could well be the vice-captain. The indications are, he will definitely be the future T20 captain.
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Surya Kumar Yadav being promoted to Vice Captain is a positive sign
These changes have been fast and furious, and the BCCI top brass has now castrated KL Rahul. KL has been performing off and on. Now, he has to prove with his bat and score runs and at the same time also keep wickets. This is exactly the role that his namesake — Rahul Dravid — was pushed into by Sourav Ganguly in ODIs in yesteryears.
To be sure, the BCCI selection part-time boss Chetan Sharma has shown he means business even as he goes out and the new selection committee should be in soon. For those wondering about the changes, it is a welcome sign to see SKY — Surya Kumar Yadav — being promoted as vice-captain in the T20 squad which takes on Sri Lanka at home. This is just a reward for his efforts with the bat, which were gigantic in Australia. Virat Kohli’s name is missing from the T20 squad, so there is a flutter if his career is over in the shortest format. Only time will tell, as he is still a key player in Tests and ODIs. His experience will come in handy at home next year in the World Cup.
Rishabh Pant, who did well with the bat in the second Test, is also not in both teams named. For those speculating his white-ball career is in the dumps, the reality is he has a knee injury. Pant has been advised to rest. To think his white-ball career is over for India would be presumptuous. Pant has a lot of talent and to think he is no good in the white ball is a misnomer.
There is a message from the BCCI on the future. Building a top team for the ODI World cup is priority No.1 . At the same time, in 2024, the ICC T20 World Cup will be held in the USA. Oldies will be out and Pandya will have his own boys/men in place.
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Given the amount of “leave” that Rohit Sharma takes, how he performs will also be viewed with interest. He has to perform and also ensure the team is motivated. His captaincy was a disaster in Australia. Dravid, whose cool demeanor gives an impression nothing affects him is also under the scanner. The debate on a separate India coach for white ball cricket is still on. Maybe, the new selection committee will take it up in due course. Winds of change? Yes. Taking things for granted? No way, perform or perish is going to be the new mantra where past reputations can turn into ruins!
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)