Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has criticized the decision to appoint Ajinkya Rahane as Test vice-captain, as India continues to search for a future leader. In an interview with Sports Today, Gavaskar said the decision was a missed opportunity to groom a young player for the leadership role. Rahane was dropped from the team last year before his resurgence during the IPL 2023 led to his recall to the national side for the World Test Championship final. He later regained his vice-captaincy position for the West Indies tour.
Gavaskar suggested that India should have provided a youngster with the opportunity to grow into the leadership role as a future captain. He identified three players as potential candidates to succeed Rohit Sharma as Test captain: Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, and Ishan Kishan. Given their impressive performances, Gavaskar believes that Axar and Gill have the potential to lead the Indian team in the future, with Kishan a potential candidate once he establishes himself in the team.
The decision to appoint Rahane as vice-captain came after India’s plan to groom a young captain under Rohit Sharma failed. The original idea was to develop a young player’s leadership skills, but the selectors were forced to revert to Rahane when other options proved inconsistent or out of the reckoning due to injury or unfavorable circumstances. Gavaskar believes that the selectors missed the chance to guide a younger player and help them develop into a future leader, a vision that the teams of the past have adhered to with great success.
Overall, Gavaskar’s criticisms suggest that the BCCI selectors may need to re-evaluate their strategy for pinpointing and developing future leaders. While Rahane’s reappointment as vice-captain may provide some stability in the short-term, the failure to groom a young player risks leaving India in a leadership vacuum when Rohit is no longer in the picture. The search for the next captain continues as India prepares to face England in a five-match Test series starting next month.
