India will be without vice-captain Rohit Sharma who has suffered a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, KL Rahul will reportedly take up the vice-captaincy duties in his absence.
India has suffered a setback for its South Africa tour. Due to a hamstring injury, senior opener Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the three-Test series for the Freedom Trophy, starting December 26. Consequently, India will also be missing his vice-captaincy services. Meanwhile, KL Rahul will be taking over the reins in his absence.
As initially reported by ANI, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that Rahul will be given the duties and would act as the deputy to skipper Virat Kohli. Rahul already holds the role in the limited-overs department, serving as deputy to skipper Rohit, with Kohli having stepped down following the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 a couple of months back. Also, Rahul being in a healthy form makes him the perfect choice.
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Ajinkya Rahane had been the vice-captain of the Test side for the past couple of years. Also, India has never lost a Test under his leadership. However, Rahane's erratic form of late does make him an automatic starter in the playing XI. While senior-pro Cheteshwar Pujara was another option, he too happens to be in the same ship as Rahane considering his current form.
IND Test squad vs SA: Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Priyank Panchal, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj.
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India's tour of South Africa 2021-22 (Full schedule)
1st Test: December 26-30 - Centurion
2nd Test: January 3-7 - Johannesburg
3rd Test: January 11-15 - Cape Town
1st ODI: January 19 - Paarl
2nd ODI: January 21- Paarl
3rd ODI: January 23 - Cape Town