Rohit-Sharma

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In a big development, Team India's T20I captain Rohit Sharma is likely to become the Test team’s vice-captain, according to the latest reports. It is understood that the current vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is under the scanner due to his below-par performances recently.

Ajinkya Rahane has been receiving a lot of criticism of late for his poor form in Tests. The Mumbai batter has been far from his best as he has only managed one fifty-plus score after scoring a ton in the historic Melbourne Test during India's last Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21.

According to a report in Times of India, the Team India management and selectors have been having intense discussions on making Rohit the deputy in Tests, given Ajinkya Rahane‘s run of poor form. Rohit is seen as a key member of the leadership group across formats ever since his appointment as the full-time T20I captain. According to sources, Rohit even had a big say in the selection of the Test team for the ongoing series against New Zealand.

In the absence of Virat Kohli, Rahane had led the Indian side in the 1st Test against New Zealand in Kanpur. He could not deliver with the bat yet again as he made scores of 35 and 4 in the two innings. In his last 16 Tests, Rahane has accumulated 683 runs at an average of 24.39.

South Africa tour to get delayed

According to the same report, the Indian tour of South Africa is getting delayed. If given clearance by the government, the tour will start from the Boxing Day Test (Dec 26) Test instead of on Dec 17. As a result, the first Test is likely be cut from the itinerary now, which means that the tour will get delayed by 9-10 days.

“The tour will be curtailed. The travel plans are being worked out. It’s unlikely the team will leave on December 8. As of now, it looks like the two boards will have to compromise and agree to play two Tests instead of the initially planned three. Maybe a T20I could also be reduced,” a top BCCI official said.